One Year After bin Laden’s Death, a Political Slant to the Story

The one-year anniversary of the assault on the al Qaeda leader’s compound in Pakistan generated significant coverage last week in the mainstream media. A PEJ examination of that coverage finds that the biggest component was actually related to U.S. domestic politics.

• 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
• 20% — How 2011 Presidential Campaign Coverage Stacks up with 2007

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 Debate the Treatment of Arab Women: April 23-27, 2012

A controversial column arguing that women are “hated” in the Arab world triggered an impassioned conversation in the blogosphere last week that included both warm praise and strident criticism. Another top subject on blogs included a tribute to a classic sports car.

• NMI — Bloggers Speculate on Google Innovations: April 16-20, 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
• NCI — Romney & Obama Eye November: April 23-29, 2012
• NCI — General Election Takes Shape: April 16-22, 2012
• NMI — Instagram, Facebook and Media Controversies Lead on Social Media: April 9-13, 2012
• NCI — Charges in the Trayvon Martin Case Compete for Media Coverage with the Campaign: April 9-15, 2012
• NMI — Project Glass Takes Social Media by Storm: April 2-6, 2012
• NCI — Big Win for Romney Makes Campaign Top Story: April 2-8, 2012