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Project for Excellence in Journalism
Tornadoes Top News Agenda
A storm system that spawned the deadliest tornado in decades, killing more than 100 residents of Joplin, Mo., last week registered as the biggest weather story since the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism began monitoring the press.
From May 23-May 29, the Midwest tornado and subsequent storms accounted for 22% of the newshole as measured by PEJ's weekly News Coverage Index. Previously, the biggest weather week since PEJ began tracking news coverage in January 2007 was Sept. 1-7, 2008, when Hurricanes Hanna and Gustav combined to fill 20% of the newshole.
Last week's scenes of death and destruction were primarily conveyed to U.S. citizens on television news. The story accounted for nearly a half (46%) of the network news airtime studied last week; it filled more than one-third (38%) on cable news.
In a year of dramatic newsmaking events at home and abroad, the spring of 2011 has been marked by a series of violent storms ravaging the Midwest and South. Indeed, this makes the fifth time in the past seven weeks that destructive weather has finished among the top five news stories.
If weather led the news, politics played a central role in the second and third biggest stories last week. The economy was the No. 2 story, filling 12% of the newshole studied, and much of that coverage focused on a Democratic victory in a special congressional election in western New York widely viewed as a referendum on Republican budget priorities, particularly the party's plans for reforming Medicare.
The No. 3 story (9%) was the 2012 presidential election season, fueled in good measure by news about two former GOP governors. One, Tim Pawlenty, made news by entering the race. Another, Sarah Palin, created buzz by buying a home in Arizona and launching a bus tour -- heightening speculation that she too might join the Republican field. For the week, Palin, with her knack for attracting press attention, finished as the fourth biggest newsmaker.
After getting off to a somewhat slow news start in 2011 -- particularly when compared with the presidential campaign four years earlier -- coverage of next year's election has recently picked up significant momentum. In the past six weeks, the campaign has filled 8% of the newshole, behind only the death of bin Laden (17%) and the economy (10%).
The fourth and fifth biggest stories of last week were about the Middle East. The conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians was the No. 4 story, at 5% of the newshole. And the continuing violence and unrest in the Arab world (No. 5) also filled 5% of the newshole, as NATO forces intensified airstrikes in Libya.