Numbers: Our Data Library

This library contains all data PEJ creates or collects about the news media. The selections below will appear as charts you can customize. Use the menus on the left to filter the data according to your interests.

  • Bad News for Online News

    Online news sites are increasingly the way the public gets its news and information. But despite the increasing traffic, advertising dollars are not following suit.  As the PEJ’s new State of the News Media report reveals, 2009 was a difficult year for the Web news business model.
  • Three Years, Three Stories

    Three stories—the Iraq War, the 2008 election, and the U.S. economy—have dominated the news agenda since PEJ began tracking coverage in 2007.  How have those stories ebbed and flowed over time? And look for more of PEJ’s analysis of 2009 news coverage in its newest annual report on the health of American journalism, the State of the News Media 2010.
  • The Olympic News Count--Vancouver Was No Beijing

    The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver—which included tragedy, triumph and a classic hockey game—attracted significant news coverage during the 17-day competition. But it couldn’t match the media attention paid to the summer games in Beijing China two years ago. A range of differences emerge in coverage of the two events.
  • When Infidelity Makes Headlines

    Tiger Wood’s televised and scrutinized mea culpa ended up as the sixth-biggest story for the week of February 14-21. But he’s not the only public figure to have generated major news for infidelity indiscretions. Which of those episodes have generated the most mainstream media coverage in recent years? And who was involved?
  • When Snow, Sleet and Slush Make Big News

    The recent two-punch storm that set the record for annual snowfall in Washington D.C. led the news agenda last week, in part because it brought the nation’s capital to a screeching halt. That transformed “Snowmaggedon” into the single biggest weekly winter storm story measured by PEJ’s News Coverage Index. What other winter blasts generated major media attention and how do they compare?
  • Who Made Headlines on Capitol Hill?

    Several lawmakers central to the health care battle were among the most prominently covered legislative newsmakers in 2009—including the late senator closely most associated with the issue. What other members of Congress found themselves in the news last year? And why?
  • Barack Obama -- News Coverage of His First Year

    At the start of President Barack Obama’s tenure, the country was fighting two wars, suffering major economic problems at home, and had high hopes for its new president. Looking back at his first year in office, which topics did the media most frequently cover in association with Obama?
  • The Leno Effect

    The NBC late night shuffle featuring Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien made big news this week. Why were NBC affiliates across the country lobbying to end the 10 p.m. prime-time experiment with Leno? A PEJ look at audience data finds viewership of late-night news at those stations has dropped by about 20%.
  • When Off-the-Field Exploits Make Major News

    Tiger Woods’ problems have consumed the tabloid press and some of the mainstream media since a series of reported affairs came to light after his November 27 car accident. But even with all that attention, the Woods episode is not the biggest newsmaking sports scandal of the past few years. Which other athletes have found themselves in the headlines for the wrong reasons?
  • Global Warming Generates Little Heat in the Media

    Global warming and environmental issues generated significant media attention last week, thanks to leaked emails from a top climate research facility and the start of the Copenhagen meeting on climate change. But a PEJ examination of media coverage finds that the subject is not often a major newsmaker.