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Project for Excellence in Journalism
Media Analysis: How the Press Covered the Tragedy in Tucson
The aftermath of the Jan. 8 shooting spree in Tucson dominated the American news media last week in a way events rarely do: the tragedy registered as the third-biggest story in a single week since PEJ began tracking coverage in January 2007.
From Jan.10-16, the rampage that killed six and badly wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords accounted for 57% of the news coverage studied by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism.
In the past four years, only two stories -- both about the 2008 election -- generated more attention. The first was the nomination of Barack Obama and John McCain's surprise selection of running mate Sarah Palin (69% from Aug. 25-Sept. 1). The second was the following week, Sept. 1-7, when the Republicans held their national convention (58%).
Aside from the sheer volume of media attention, what have the traumatic events in Tucson meant, as transmitted in the media narrative? This special report, combining PEJ's weekly News Coverage Index with social media analysis technology from Crimson Hexagon, finds several key elements emerging.
The Argument Over Political Rhetoric
The single biggest shooting-related topic involved a discussion of the tenor of political discourse in America, including its role as a potential catalyst for the tragedy. That theme proved to be the biggest component of the coverage both in mainstream and social media alike.
According to the PEJ's News Coverage Index, which focuses on the mainstream press, the often-heated debate about public discourse accounted for more than a quarter (27%) of all coverage devoted to the shootings last week. That was more than the coverage about the alleged shooter, Jared Loughner, and his family (20%), the No. 2 Tucson storyline. And it more than doubled the coverage devoted to the third-biggest narrative, straight news accounts of the shooting and its aftermath (12%).
Nowhere in the mainstream media did that debate echo more loudly than on the ideological talk shows on radio and cable news. On radio, which includes commercial talk hosts, headlines and NPR, it filled 57% of the airtime devoted to the shooting. On cable, which includes prime-time and some daytime programming, it filled 32%.
Some conservative hosts accused the left of trying to smear the right by suggesting that heated political rhetoric was somehow responsible for the violence in Tucson.
As early as Monday Jan. 10, on his prime-time Fox News show, conservative host Bill O'Reilly said, "Only moments ... after Congresswoman Giffords was shot, some far-left loons began to spew their hatred: Conservatives encouraged Jared Loughner to pull the trigger. Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Fox News, all spurred the psychopath to kill the six people. The merchants of hate who are peddling this stuff should be accountable."
In part, O'Reilly seemed to be responding to MSNBC host Keith Olbermann, who the night of the shooting had gone on the air to decry the tone of conservative rhetoric. On Tuesday Jan. 11, Olbermann was responding to his critics. "Since the shooting [some] on the right have put forward the absolutely incoherent narrative that suggestions from the left that the right's rhetoric might have real world consequences is out of line -- because those remarks might have a real world consequence."
Olbermann also cited what he called Fox News boss Roger Ailes' suggestion that his own network should "turn [the rhetoric] down."
The topic of political discourse was less prominent elsewhere in the media. It accounted for 21% of the online news studied concerning the shooting. And it filled 18% of the front-page newspaper coverage devoted to the shooting and 18% in network morning and evening news on the story.
But the tone of public discourse was a more significant focus of the discussion in new media. According to a Crimson Hexagon analysis that began two days earlier than the NCI data (on Jan. 8), 29% of the conversation about the Giffords story measured on blogs and Twitter focused on public discourse. Crimson Hexagon technology analyzes online media by identifying statistical patterns in the words used to express opinions on different topics.
Using Crimson Hexagon, PEJ was also able to analyze the tone of this conversation. Here, considerably more of the discussion about political rhetoric featured the left blaming the right rather than the other way around. According to the analysis from Jan. 8-16, a full 59% of the commentary in blogs, Twitter and social media involved liberals blaming conservatives for their tone. That was more than twice the amount of the discussion (28%) that involved conservatives criticizing the left or defending themselves.
Typical of that commentary was a tweet by someone calling himself David D: "Funny, how Billy Oreillys of the world want rappers to watch their words but wanna give themselves & Sarah palin a pass." Another tweeter, RVAREgal wrote, "Things that make me rethink free speech--Palin, Limbaugh, Robertson, Beck, et al."
Though smaller in number, some conservatives did fire back. "Sorry, but can't let Left MSM lie, smear, frame the debate, set their memes unopposed," tweeted Barbara McMahon.
In social media, the subject of public debate was followed closely by a discussion of the shooting incident itself, the aftermath, and the media's coverage of it. That filled 27% of the social media conversation. The No. 3 topic in social media was Obama's response to the incident, including his Jan. 12 speech and the memorial service to the victims (22%).
Continue reading the full report, including an analysis of how President Obama's speech was received by the press and the media reaction to Sarah Palin's comments, at journalism.org.