News Interest Index: Public Reacts Positively To Extensive Gulf Coverage

Report Read time:
News Interest Index: Public Reacts Positively To Extensive Gulf Coverage

While the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico has accounted for an overwhelming proportion of recent news coverage, most Americans say the press is giving the right amount of attention to the still-unfolding disaster.

The latest News Interest Index survey conducted June 17-20 among 1,009 adults by the Pew Research Center finds that 53% say the press has devoted the right amount of coverage to the disaster. Among the remainder, as many say news organizations are giving too little coverage to the leak (21%) as say too much coverage (19%). Last month, 59% said the press devoted the right amount of coverage to the leak.

Last week, news about the leak, which included a presidential address about the crisis, accounted for 44% of the newshole, the highest percentage since the story broke on April 20 with a deadly explosion on an offshore oil rig, according to a separate analysis by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. That represents the highest amount of coverage for any news story since health care legislation was approved by Congress in March.

Public interest in the disaster remains strong. More than six-in-ten (63%) say they followed news about the oil leak more closely than any other story last week. A majority (56%) says the press has done an excellent or good job in covering the leak, though that is down from 66% in early May.

Read the full report, Public Reacts Positively To Extensive Gulf Coverage 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
Article June 13, 2023

37 Scientists Pioneering the Future of Biomedical Research

Quick View
Article June 13, 2023

Biomedical researchers are at the heart of nearly every medical advancement. From cutting-edge cancer treatments to breakthrough discoveries about emerging viruses, these scientists use creativity and ingenuity to explore new horizons in human health and medicine. And for nearly 40 years, The Pew Charitable Trusts has supported more than 1,000 early-career researchers committed to this work.

MORE FROM PEW

A man wearing a checkered, collared shirt leans in and touches the shoulder of a man in a blue collared shirt with lights in the background. The Power of Lived Experience in Suicide Prevention
A woman and her grandchildren on a sunny afternoon. Courts Can Do More to Help Families Seeking Guardianship
Sunlight streams into the blue waters of a vibrant coral reef. Yellow, black and blue, and orange fish swim near red, green and bright coral. To Save Biodiversity, Community Funds New Plan
Four yellow school buses emit smoke as they travel a road crowded with cars, construction vehicles, and scaffolding. States Race to Win Federal Clean School Bus Grants
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?