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Project for Excellence in Journalism
Media Focus Remains Overseas
Events occurring outside the borders of the United States led the news for the eighth time in a nine-week span that has tested the mettle of journalists and the resources of their newsrooms.
From March 21-27, the turmoil in the Middle East- -- particularly the entry of the U.S. and NATO military forces into the Libyan conflict -- filled 47% of the newshole studied by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. The No. 2 story, the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake -- primarily involving concerns about radiation -- accounted for 15%.
That represents a reversal of the previous week, when Japan accounted for 57% of the coverage and Libya 17%. The narrative has whipsawed between these two events for the past several weeks.
With the Middle East dominating the news agenda since late January, and the Japanese earthquake and tsunami generating major attention since they struck on March 11, almost half the overall coverage this year (43%) has been devoted to international events. That is about double the normal level. All this comes at a time when newsroom cutbacks have taken a toll on foreign reporting resources.
The current chapter in the Mideast story began on March 17 when the U.N. Security Council voted to enforce a Libyan no-fly zone, a move that paved the way for direct U.S. military involvement. Last week, there were two basic themes in the coverage of the conflict. One involved the changing situation on the ground; the other focused on the intensifying internal debate over President Obama's handling of the situation.
Those two subplots were enough to make the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake, and particularly the focus on the continuing dangers posed by radiation at the damaged nuclear plant, seem suddenly less urgent.
The No. 3 story last week, at 7%, was the death of iconic movie star and celebrity Elizabeth Taylor at age 79. While Americans under age 40 may not remember her film career, many media tributes last week posited that her stardom and impact far exceeded her body of work.
The economy was the fourth-biggest story last week, at 6%, although no one storyline dominated. Unemployment claims dropped a bit and there was more legal wrangling over the effort to curtail union collective bargaining rights in Wisconsin.
Finally, the No. 5 story (2%) was the air traffic controller who fell asleep at Reagan National Airport, an event that sparked a larger public debate about airport staffing.