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Project for Excellence in Journalism
Gloomy Economic News Tops Media Agenda
A run of gloomy news -- more partisan disagreement on raising the debt ceiling, rising unemployment numbers and continued housing woes -- drove the economy to the forefront of the media agenda last week.
As the recovery appeared to falter, the U.S. economy accounted for 19% of the newshole during the week of May 30-June 5, according to the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. That represented the biggest week for economic coverage since April 11-17, when the narrowly averted government shutdown helped to make that subject the focus of 39% of the newshole.
The growing sense that the economic recovery has stalled invited the media to weigh the impact on President Obama, with analysts noting that his reelection prospects were not helped by last week's news.
The week's No. 2 story was a related subject -- the 2012 presidential campaign-- that has slowly but steadily crept to the fore of the mainstream media agenda. Last week, attention to the race -- mostly focusing on the emerging and potential crop of Republican candidates -- accounted for 12% of the newshole, its biggest week of coverage yet.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney generated substantial attention with his long-expected entrance into the race on June 2. (He was the No. 2 newsmaker last week, the focus of 4% of all stories studied by PEJ). Another former governor -- the undeclared Sarah Palin -- generated considerable coverage as she launched a bus tour of some of the nation's famous historical sites that had the media fervently chasing her. Palin was the No. 3 newsmaker, also at 4%. (In order to register as a dominant newsmaker, a person must be featured in at least 50% of a story).
The lurid side of American politics was also on display as the media focused on two scandals last week. The No. 4 story (4%) involved the indictment of former vice presidential nominee John Edwards on charges that he misused campaign funds to conceal an affair with his mistress.
At No. 5 (also 4%) was the appearance of a revealing image on the Twitter account of New York Rep. Anthony Weiner -- a scandal that lingered when the congressman could not say with certitude that the photo was not of him. (On June 6, Weiner admitted the photo was of him and said that he had inappropriate communications with a half dozen women).
Turmoil in the Middle East surfaced again among the top stories last week as violence in Yemen and the departure of that country's president to Saudi Arabia sparked concerns of all-out civil war. That topic was the No. 3 story, at 9% of the newshole.
And one week after the deadly tornado that devastated Joplin, Mo., registered as the No. 1 story, bad weather continued to make news last week. That aftermath of the Joplin disaster filled 3% of the newshole, while additional flooding and tornadoes -- including one that killed several in Springfield, Mass. -- accounted for another 2%.