The public followed news about the missing Malaysia Airlines plane more closely than any other story last week. While the story has attracted extensive news coverage, especially from cable TV outlets, most Americans do not feel there has been too much coverage of the missing jetliner.
The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center, conducted March 20-23 among 1,002 adults, finds that 44% followed news about the missing Malaysian jetliner most closely, far surpassing interest in any other story. Russia's annexation of Crimea was a distant second, with 15% following that news most closely.
Nearly half of Americans (48%) say news organizations are giving the right amount of coverage to the investigation into the missing jetliner; another 12% say there has been too little coverage of this story. A third (33%) think the investigation into plane's fate has received too much coverage.
However, more people think that the missing jetliner has received too much news coverage than say that about two other stories last week – Russia's actions in Crimea and the rollout of the 2010 health care law; just 14% each view those stories as over-covered. For the most part, the public sees the amount of coverage of Russia and Crimea as appropriate (56% right amount). But fewer (40%) say that news about the rollout of the health care law has gotten the right amount of coverage. Nearly four-in-ten (37%) say implementation of the health care law has been under-covered by news organizations – the highest percentage of the three stories asked about.
Read the full report at the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.