This Time Around, Less News from the Campaign

The 2008 nomination battles won by Barack Obama and John McCain fueled extensive presidential campaign coverage in the early part of that year. So far in 2012, the press is paying considerably less attention to the race for the White House, according to a PEJ analysis.

• 43% — One Year After bin Laden’s Death, a Political Slant to the Story
• 32% — Twitter Conversation about Student Loans is More Personal, Less Political
• 14% — The Media Stayed with the Trayvon Martin Story
• 0.3% — What Happened to Coverage of the “Arab Spring?”
• 1st — The Health Care Debate is Back in the News
• #4 — Massacre Puts Afghanistan Back in the Headlines
• No. 5 — When Violent Weather Makes News
• 24% — Birth Control Mandate Is A Bigger Talk Show Story
• 47% — State of the Union Coverage Shrinks
• 6% — New Push for Hispanic TV Audiences
• 80% — Economy Fades as Election Intensifies

Gingrich Bows Out as the General Election Battle Takes Shape

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich ended his presidential campaign with a final week of unflattering and relatively sparse coverage and Mitt Romney's campaign narrative appeared to benefit from some high profile endorsements.

• How the Media Covered the 2012 Primary Campaign
• 72% of Americans Follow Local News Closely
• How Blogs, Twitter and Mainstream Media Have Handled the Trayvon Martin Case: Special Report
• The Search for a New Business Model
• Religion in the News
• Digital Advertising and News
• On Twitter, Still Tough Going for Komen
• The Year in News 2011
• Where People Get Information about Restaurants and Local Businesses
• Twitter and the Campaign
• How Mainstream Media Outlets Use Twitter
• Cain's Bad Stretch--A Campaign Coverage Update
• The Tablet Revolution

Bloggers Discuss Barack Obama’s Dating Life : April 30-May 4, 2012

An article that focused largely on the president’s relationships with some old girlfriends inspired bloggers to weigh in on both Obama and the article last week. On YouTube, protests in Malaysia calling for fair elections dominated the week’s most popular news videos.

• NCI — Election Leads as Campaigns Go National: May 14-20, 2012
• NMI — In Social Media, Support for Same-sex Marriage: May 7-11, 2012
• NCI — Obama's "Evolution" Leads the News: May 7-13, 2012
• NCI — Drama of a Chinese Dissident Closely Trails Election : April 30 - May 6, 2012
• NMI — Bloggers Debate the Treatment of Arab Women: April 23-27, 2012
• NCI — Romney & Obama Eye November: April 23-29, 2012
• NMI — Bloggers Speculate on Google Innovations: April 16-20, 2012
• NCI — General Election Takes Shape: April 16-22, 2012
• NMI — Instagram, Facebook and Media Controversies Lead on Social Media: April 9-13, 2012