Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
As has been the case since his death, Michael Jackson dominated the headlines last week—with his July 7 memorial service as the major newsmaker. And while the struggling economy continued to generate attention, the No. 3 story was the ongoing press buzz over the outgoing Alaska Governor.
Summary of Findings News about the economy and the debate over health care reform continue to dominate public attention. A growing proportion of Americans say they are hearing mostly good news about the economy, while the percentage saying the news is mostly bad has fallen since July. On health care, protests at contentious town hall […]
Even as many observers predicted Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor would win confirmation, the first days of coverage were defined by harsh rhetoric and ideological combat. It was another example of the media’s enduring affinity for the conflict frame of news.
In a week in which no single event dominated blogs and social media, the results of a California referendum and the shooting of an up-and-coming rapper led the online conversation.
Even by midweek, the media had begun to shift focus from protests in Iran to a political sex scandal in South Carolina. But all that was before the death of the best-selling recording artist whose troubled life and pioneering music made him an icon. By the time the week ended, focus on Michael Jackson’s passing overwhelmed all other media stories.
Amid the growing popularity of social networking web sites, the public expresses mixed opinions about people sharing personal information online. About as many say it is a bad thing (44%) that the internet enables people to share pictures and other personal things about themselves with others as see this as a good thing (43%). As […]
About the Sponsors The Pew Internet Project is an initiative of the Pew Research Center, a nonprofit “fact tank” that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. The Pew Internet Project explores the impact of the internet on children, families, communities, the work place, schools, health care and civic/political […]