Project for Excellence in Journalism

Economy & Afghanistan Lead the News

June 28, 2011

For Afghanistan to feature prominently in the news, the years have shown it usually depends on what is happening in Washington. 

Last week was one such week. The war in that country accounted for 14% of the newshole in the U.S. mainstream media between June 20 and June 26, according to the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism. It was the fourth biggest week of coverage for Afghanistan since PEJ began its weekly News Coverage Index monitoring the news agenda in January 2007,and easily the biggest week of coverage so far of 2011. 

The last time the conflict in Afghanistan ranked among the top stories in any week was March 28-April 3, when it was No. 5 at 3% of the newshole (a Rolling Stone expose of an Army platoon drove much of the coverage that week). Since January, the war has accounted for only 2% of the newshole overall. 

Last week’s coverage overwhelmingly focused on President Barack Obama’s announcement that the U.S. will bring home 30,000 troops by September of 2012 (about 85% of the Afghanistan coverage dealt with U.S. policy over there). 

That echoes a theme found throughout much of the media’s treatment of the Afghanistan war over the years: that more than violence or events on the ground, it is policy decisions and deliberations in Washington that create spikes in otherwise limited coverage. 

In the week of November 30-December 6, 2009, coverage peaked at 27% of the newshole with Obama's announcement that he would be sending in an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan—a surge that was book-ended by last week's drawdown announcement. In the week of June 21-27, 2010, when the war in Afghanistan accounted for 25% of the newshole, the focus was on another Rolling Stone report that brought attention to tensions between the Obama administration and Stanley McChrystal, then commander of U.S. forces there, about war strategy.

A look at all the Afghanistan coverage in the year 2011 so far, more than half—53%—is focused on the U.S. strategy and policy making process. 

While Afghanistan coverage spiked higher than usual last week, coverage of the economy accounted for even more newshole -- at 16% -- than the war. That made it the No. 1 story, driven in large part by the intense debate in Washington over the nation’s debt limit. 

At No. 3 was the presidential election, at 9%. Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman drew media attention when he officially entered the race. Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann drew some attention of her own by promoting her impending official entrance on Monday June 27. 

Conflict in the Middle East continued to be among the top stories at No. 4 (6%). Last week, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s speech promising reforms made that country a particular focus of the regional coverage. 

And the arrest late in the week of James ‘Whitey’ Bulger -- a legendary Boston mob figure who had been on the run for more than 15 years -- captivated news outlets to such an extent that it was the No. 5 story of the week at 5% of the newshole.

Read the full report  at journalism.org.