Numbers: Our Data Library

In the first four months of 2002, as the shock of September 11 began to subside, the topic agenda of the three network evening newscasts were fairly similar. NBC focused slightly more on lifestyle, CBS on hard news.

In the first four months of 2002, as the shock of September 11th subsided, morning network shows moved back toward more lifestyle coverage. The trend was interrupted by a crisis in April in Israel.

As the shock of September 11th subsided in early 2002, NBC's Today Show favored lifestyle and celebrity topics more than its network rivals, particularly ABC.

Network evening news was far more likely to cover the military aspects of the war on terror in the first four months of 2002 while the morning news tended to focus more on the domestic impact of the war.

The network evening newscasts, which became far more hard news oriented in the month after the September 11th attacks, basically returned to their pre-9-11 news agenda in early 2002.

In October 2001, following the September 11th attacks, morning network news changed its news agenda dramatically. In the early months of 2002, that agenda shifted back toward its pre-September 11th norm--but not all the way back.

Network evening news in early 2002 was roughly twice as likely to cover stories related to the war on terror, and the differences between networks was relativley slight.

After a marked caution after the attacks of September 11th, the media moved somewhat more in the direction of analysis, opinion and speculation in November and December 2001.