PEJ News Coverage Index: Nov. 16 - 22, 2009, Public Policy (and Palin) Drive the Week's News

Report Read time:
PEJ News Coverage Index: Nov. 16 - 22, 2009, Public Policy (and Palin) Drive the Week's News

After being overshadowed by the Fort Hood shootings for several weeks, the year's two major domestic policy stories—health care and the economy—re-emerged atop the news agenda last week.

But much of the media buzz, particularly in the talk show universe, revolved around the week's No. 3 story—Sarah Palin's book tour—which to some degree inevitably turned into a referendum on the press itself.

Coverage of Palin often seems to end up with the news media's behavior near the center of the narrative. And that was the case last week as media vetting of “Going Rogue” and her complaints about a Newsweek cover photo became issues in their own right.

From November 16-22, health care reform was the No. 1 story, accounting for 13% of the newshole according to the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. The Saturday, November 21, vote to bring legislation to the Senate floor for debate—a significant, but far from decisive milestone—occurred too late in the week to have a major impact on this News Coverage Index.

The U.S. economy was the second-biggest story (at 12%), amid more mixed signals about the unemployment picture.

Read the full report Public Policy (and Palin) Drive the Week's News 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.