Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Summary of Findings As the nation marked the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks last week, many in the public and the media focused more on current tensions over Islam in America – most notably plans by a Florida pastor to burn copies of the Koran. Nearly two-in-ten (17%) say they followed the […]
A presidential mention, and intense interest from talk show hosts, pushed a proposed Islamic center in New York City to the top of the news agenda last week. Meanwhile, a milestone in the drawdown of troops in Iraq attracted more media coverage than the war has received in more than a year.
Technology topped the agenda on Twitter last week as the powerful tech troika of Twitter, Google and Facebook all generated attention. On blogs, the focus was divided between events relating to the Afghanistan war and the death of a veteran actor. And a YouTube-based host who creates his own brand of news was popular once again.
Two familiar stories—an economy slow to recover and an oil leak slow to be stopped—generated the most press attention last week. But there was plenty of politics as well including two hot button issues—same-sex marriage and illegal immigration—and the mid-term elections. And after one week of big headlines, Afghanistan coverage plunged.
In a week in which economic news nearly hit a three-month high, cable talk shows were dominated by the resignation of a federal employee whose comments on race were taken out of context by a conservative website. Meanwhile, in the Gulf of Mexico, the debate was about the merits of plugging the BP oil well with a “topkill” or a “bottom kill.”
Last week, a blogger’s discovery of a doctored BP photograph generated the most interest in the blogosphere. Next came a discussion of the changing news business triggered by a humorous column from a veteran journalist. On Twitter, users were most interested in tracking how social networking sites were faring. On YouTube, an airborne donkey drew the most hits.
The debate over the Islamic Center and mosque near Ground Zero in New York was a hotly contested issue for bloggers for the third week in a row as the focus turned to the motives of those opposing the construction. On Twitter, a new phone app feature from Google created a mostly positive buzz.
With the fall balloting closer on the horizon, the crucial midterm elections topped the headlines last week—with a troublesome economy close behind. The death of a well-known politician and debates over immigration policy also finished among the top five stories as did the oil spill saga—though it is quickly losing steam.