The sudden conclusion to Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year reign in Egypt dominated both news coverage and the public’s news interest last week. Fully 48% say they followed news about Egyptian protests and Mubarak’s resignation more closely than any other story, far surpassing the week’s other stories.

The news media devoted 39% of coverage to the various elements of the Egypt story, according to a separate analysis conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism.

The latest News Interest Index survey, conducted Feb. 10-13 among 1,000 adults, finds that public interest in news from Egypt has increased sharply since anti-government protests began there last month. 

Read the full report, Interest in Egypt News Surges as Mubarak Departs, on the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press Web site.