News Interest Index: Public Tracks Oil Spill, Media Focuses More On Times Square

Report Read time:
News Interest Index: Public Tracks Oil Spill, Media Focuses More On Times Square

Americans tracked the worsening oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico more closely than other major news stories last week, while the media focused on both the underwater oil leak and the investigation into the attempted car bombing in New York's Times Square.

A third of the public (33%) says they most closely followed news about the oil leak now threatening the coasts of several southeastern states. Fewer say they followed news about the Times Square investigation (13%) or the new Arizona immigration law (16%) more closely than any other story, according to the latest News Interest Index survey, conducted May 7-10 among 1,006 adults by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.

In terms of coverage, the media devoted 25% of the newshole to the Times Square investigation and 20% to the Gulf Coast oil leak, according to a separate analysis by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism (PEJ).

When it comes to the economy, the public sees little change in the tenor of recent news. Two-thirds (66%) say they are hearing a mix of good and bad news about the economy, matching the numbers from early April and early March. 
 
Americans give generally high marks to the press for its handling of the ongoing oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico (66% rate coverage as excellent or good) and the investigation into the Times Square bomb attempt (63% excellent or good). Opinions are more measured about press performance covering the new Arizona law that gives police more authority to question people they suspect might be illegal immigrants (48% excellent or good).

Read the full report Public Tracks Oil Spill, Media Focuses More On Times Square on the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press' 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

An aerial view of a vast wetland, with scattered vegetation visible on sandy islands. In Western Australia, a Conservation Model for the World
A presentation being given by a businesswoman to a group of participants at a business conference. Four Plan Features Can Boost 'Retirement Readiness'
A large group of people in formal or traditional attire stands together on a stage, with a digital background depicting marine life and the large text “WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.” WTO Needs to Redouble Its Effort on Fishing Subsidies
A man in a winter hat and sunglasses kneels on a rocky shoreline in front of a campfire, holding a metal mug with gloved hands. Behind him, in the water, a motorboat is moored to the shore. Cliffs rise on both sides of the water. Why Newfoundland’s South Coast Fjords Are Sacred
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.