PEJ News Coverage Index: June 8 - 14, 2009, No Story Dominates, but Iran Fascinates

Report Read time:
PEJ News Coverage Index: June 8 - 14, 2009, No Story Dominates, but Iran Fascinates

In a crowded and diverse news week, the economic crisis was the No. 1 subject, even as it generated the lowest weekly coverage for any lead story since 2007. 

But it was the election in Iran that drove narrative late last week. And as the country continued to split over the disputed voting results, it set the stage to possibly emerge as the next international mega-story.

The numbers also cast into striking relief the degree to which Iran barely registers otherwise on the media radar screen, despite the political rhetoric involving the nation that once held Americans hostage and played a key role in the history of Islamic fundamentalism. 

From June 8-14, the U.S. financial crisis accounted for 13% of the newshole, according to the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. That marks the first time in 20 months that the leading story for a week generated so little attention. The last time it occurred was the week of October 14-19, 2007, when the still-young presidential campaign was the top story, but filled only 11% of the newshole.

The second-biggest story last week was a dramatic event that tapped into a larger ideological issue, according to PEJ's weekly News Coverage Index. The June 10 shooting at the Holocaust museum, allegedly by a white supremacist, accounted for 11% of the coverage. It also re-ignited a debate about a Homeland Security warning of a possible spike in right-wing extremism. 

Read the full report No Story Dominates, but Iran Fascinates on the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism Web site.

America’s Overdose Crisis
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
Quick View
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up

MORE FROM PEW

A pair of white and black Adélie penguins standing in the middle of a clump of snow face opposite directions. Seeing Antarctic Change, Scientist Calls for Stronger Action
A shipyard with towers in the foreground, a barge on a river, and a blue sky in the background. Louisiana Primed to Take Helm of Offshore Wind Supply Chain
About a dozen people stand examining large blue bins full of whole fish in a warehouse. Some people are in green clothes, others in blue, and all wear ballcaps. A few hold clipboards. Reducing Risk Strengthens the Seafood Supply Chain
A worker in a seafood market dumps bright orange shrimp from a blue bin onto a bed of ice between a lot of other seafood laid out for sale. Other workers are visible in the background, as are the arms of shoppers placing orders from the other side of the ice bed. Seafood Industry Benefits From Greater Vessel Transparency
Composite image of modern city network communication concept

Learn the Basics of Broadband from Our Limited Series

Sign up for our four-week email course on Broadband Basics
Quick View

How does broadband internet reach our homes, phones, and tablets? What kind of infrastructure connects us all together? What are the major barriers to broadband access for American communities?

Pills illustration
Pills illustration

What Is Antibiotic Resistance—and How Can We Fight It?

Sign up for our four-week email series The Race Against Resistance.
Quick View
Pills illustration

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, also known as “superbugs,” are a major threat to modern medicine. But how does resistance work, and what can we do to slow the spread? Read personal stories, expert accounts, and more for the answers to those questions in our four-week email series: Slowing Superbugs.