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Project for Excellence in Journalism
Fallout from Arizona Shootings Tops Hu Visit
The fallout from the Arizona shooting spree continued to lead the news agenda last week, though the level of coverage dropped significantly and the media narrative narrowed.
From Jan. 17-23, the rampage that killed six and wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 12 others filled 17% of the newshole studied by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. That is down more than two-thirds from the 57% the story generated the previous week when the country was still reeling from the shock of events, according to PEJ's weekly News Coverage Index.
Even so, that decline in week-to-week coverage was not as large as it has been with some other major news events. The mass shooting that claimed 32 victims at Virginia Tech in April 2007, for example, accounted for 51% of the newshole in the first week and plunged to only 7% the next. One reason the Tucson story may be more lasting is the recovery of Giffords herself. Another may be that the incident has triggered a discussion about the tone of public discourse -- a debate political pundits are eager to have.
Last week's coverage of the Tucson tragedy indeed was focused largely on those two storylines -- the congresswoman's continuing recovery and the continuing debate over vitriolic rhetoric in public life. That stands in contrast to the previous week (Jan. 10-16) when a series of storylines -- ranging from the rhetoric debate and President Obama's speech to coverage of vigils and the alleged shooter Jared Loughner -- all commanded significant attention.
The week's No. 4 story, the debate over health care reform (8% of the newshole), also featured a connection to the Tucson saga. As the Republican-controlled House held what appears to be a largely symbolic vote to repeal the Obama-backed law, coverage focused on whether the events in Arizona would soften the tone of debate over the issue.
The second-biggest story last week, at 11%, was the Washington summitry between Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao. Many of the media post-mortems concluded that the meeting did not produce dramatic breakthroughs but may have helped smooth over rough spots in relations between the two nations.
The No. 3, story, at 8%, was the U.S. economy, a subject that has seen diminished coverage in recent weeks given the media attention devoted to the new Congress and the Giffords shooting. Rounding out the roster of top stories was news of the Obama administration itself (3%), with coverage driven by a recent rise in the president's job approval ratings.