Project for Excellence in Journalism

News Coverage Index: The Santorum Surge Story Comes True

January 4, 2012

In the days before Iowans finally caucused, the news media were most focused on the shifting horse race that foreshadowed Rick Santorum's strong late showing, according to an analysis of the leading themes in the Iowa press narrative by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. At the same time, the press was also discounting the impact of Iowa.

The subject of momentum, indeed, was the biggest component of the coverage in the last two weeks before Iowa citizens voted, according to an analysis by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. More than a quarter of all the coverage across the country (27%) was focused on polls, strategy and momentum-much of it about dark horse Santorum dramatically gaining ground in the waning days of the Iowa campaign, even though few late polls showed Santorum actually ahead.

Read the full report which includes discussion of other major themes in the coverage of the caucuses.