The ever-expanding British phone hacking scandal involving Rupert
Murdoch's media empire grabbed the attention of the Twitter universe last week in
a way very few stories have. And they offered virtually no sympathy to the beleaguered
Australian magnate.
For the week of July 4-8, fully 53% of the news links on
Twitter were about the scandal, according to the New Media Index from the Pew
Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. This was more attention
in a single week than any topic on Twitter in the past 10 months. And it registered
the sixth-biggest subject overall since PEJ began monitoring Twitter in July
2009.
The episode unfolded when employees of Murdoch's News of the
World tabloid were accused of hacking the cell phones of a number of people
including the victims of terrorist attacks, dead soldiers, and a 13-year-old
girl who was abducted and killed. Amid a political outcry and the launching of
investigations, Murdoch quickly shuttered that paper and on July 13with the scandal widening, his News
Corp. dropped its $12
billion bid to take over British Sky Broadcasting.
Twitter users followed a number of different aspects of the
story last week, from the accusations
that the tabloid hacked the phones of the families of victims of the July 7,
2005 subway attacks in London to the word that the News of the World was closing in response to the
scandal. As with most subjects on Twitter, the majority of posts simply linked
to a relevant news article without comment. However, a number of people added remarks
criticizing the paper and the Murdoch news empire in general.
"How about people boycott the NOTW [News of the World]
indefinitely?" tweeted Ian Roullier. "It's not like anyone will learn any less
by not having it in their lives."
The tabloid controversy registered as the No. 3 story in the
mainstream press last week (6% of the newshole according to PEJ's News Coverage Index). But
that was far from the intensity seen on Twitter.
In the blogosphere, the No. 1 subject last week-at almost a
quarter of the news links on blogs, 24%-was the Iraq war. Bloggers focused on a
report
that the White House was preparing to keep as many as 10,000 troops in that
country after the end of the year in order to prevent violence that might
result from a complete withdrawal. Previously, President Obama said he would
abide by a 2008 agreement that only about 200 troops would remain in Iraq after
2011 as advisors.
Iraq has been of significant interest to bloggers in recent
weeks, even as it has fallen under the radar of most other media. Last week
marked the second time in less than a month that the war was the top subject on
blogs. From June
13-17, the outrage over the discovery that billions of dollars intended for
the country's post-war reconstruction were missing was the leading subject, generating
a whopping 54% of the links.
This past week, bloggers disagreed about whether the
decision to keep troops in Iraq was the correct move. But most of the comments
came from conservatives who criticized President Obama for breaking his pledge
to withdraw all troops by the end of 2011.
News of the World
Hacking Scandal
On Wednesday, July 6, the day before the six-year
anniversary of the 7/7 terrorist attacks in Great Britain, the BBC reported that the News of
the World tabloid may have hacked phones belonging to bombing victims. This
news, coming on the heels of the revelation that News of the World hacked the
phone of murdered 13-year-old Milly Dowler, resulted in an overwhelming
response on Twitter.
Users overwhelmingly disparaged the actions attributed to
the paper.
"NotW phonehacking scandal continues: 7/7 victims said to
have been targeted...Really, where do they draw the line?" wondered Tiffany Phan.*
"Soon nothing will surprise me by what NOTW have done and
that's a very bad place to be," admitted Emma Haslem."
"In the most foetid nook of the ninth circle of Hell,
there's a chemical toilet reserved for an editor's head," added Chris Miller.
After the British paper The Independent summarized
the growing crisis facing the tabloid and Rupert Murdoch's entire media empire,
Twitterers turned their ire toward the prominent mogul himself.
"Looks like Mr Murdoch is not having a great time!" cheered
Clayton J. White.
"Hopefully this is the beginning of the end for Murdoch!"
applauded Mad Masked Maiden.
"Wrong to enjoy and exploit another families misery. But
since the #NoW has done it 2 so many, I'm making an exception," wrote Spencer
G.
And the news
that the paper was closing did not pacify these social media users.
"News of the World to close amid hacking scandal...good
riddance to bad rubbish!" wished Donna Abberley.
"If those allegations of hacking are true, this is just a
disgrace to #journalism," pronounced Micha Tobia.
A number of people also linked to a Reuters
column that quoted a lawyer, Mark Stephens, speculating that if Murdoch's tabloid
is shut down, the company may not be obligated to retain documents related to
criminal claims-even in cases that have already begun. If the
tabloid is liquidated, Stephens claimed, it might be a victory for
Murdoch because his company could destroy evidence that might further incriminate
them.
This possibility led to even more outrage.
"Genius! By killing #NOTW Murdoch can legally destroy
evidence of other potential crimes," responded Aymeric Beep.
"Wow. Is the whole NOTW closure just a way to destroy the
evidence? Orchestrated 'win' for us actually a win for Murdoch?" wondered Neville
Doyle.
Finally, a significant amount of attention was paid to a CNET
story where Kevin Mitnick, a security consultant who previously spent time
in jail for hacking, demonstrated how easy it is to hack someone's phone, an
activity known as "phreaking."
This tech-angle of the News of the World story led tweeters
to warn others that this could happen to them.
"Do you phreak? That's what they call hacking into cell
phones. Why is it so easy?" questioned Celeste Headlee.
"Hacking legend Kevin Mitnick's suggestion: change your
mobile phone settings to require a PIN when checking voice mail," conveyed FC
Research.
"Are your security policies keeping up with the latest
threats?...Phreaking can be prevented with simple security steps," warned Jeff
Kramer.
Rest of the News on
Twitter
Last week was an unusual one on Twitter. Instead of
technology which often dominates, the top four stories dealt with international
affairs-including the British tabloid episode.
The No. 2 story was another British-focused issue, albeit
one of a much different tone. The debate over the costs of social services in
England received 8% of the news links.
Users highlighted two specific BBC articles, one about a report by
Labour MP Graham Allen which concluded that unless more money is spent to help
children from deprived backgrounds, society will suffer "immense penalties."
The other covered an independent
report recommending individuals not have to pay more than £35,000 in their
lifetime for social care, support given to the elderly and people with
disabilities. Any costs over that amount, the report suggests, should be
covered by the government.
The No. 3 story (4%) was a Time magazine article
about how Chilean President Sebastián Piñera-best known for his role in the
rescue of 33 trapped miners last October-has lost popularity in recent months
due largely to problems with the nation's education system.
The execution
of Mexican national Humberto Leal in Texas, despite attempts by the White House
and Mexican authorities to get a last-minute reprieve, was the fourth-biggest
story, at 3%. Leal had been convicted of raping and killing a girl in 1995.
Only the No. 5 story, a report
about how Facebook and Microsoft are working together to compete with Google
(3%), involved social media and technology.
Iraq
A Los Angeles Times report
indicating that the White House is preparing to keep as many as 10,000 troops
in Iraq beyond the end of the year generated a strong reaction in the
blogosphere.
Some felt that a continued presence there was the right
thing.
"Frankly, I've always felt that keeping a permanent force in
Iraq made sense and would protect US interests in the region," wrote Silvio
Canto Jr.
Others, even some who admitted to supporting the Iraq War
when it began in 2003, questioned the current mission.
"What we have today is a war-torn country that we are
rebuilding. What we have is a country that we are pushing democracy on,"
explained Josh
Arrowood. "Our foreign policy needs to be built completely on what is best
for the United States...I am not sure leaving troops indefinitely and rebuilding
does that."
Most of the commentary, however, came from bloggers who
chided the president for breaking a campaign pledge.
"Obama promised to remove ALL troops from Iraq by the end of
2011?" wrote Gregor Mendel. "It
was just another convenient lie...I think it shows just how much of a rookie Obama was and is.
Experienced people would never make such a stupid and
rash statement. But you fools did elect him."
"Why would anyone believe anything he said?" asked Bill
Roberts at Daily
Brisk.
"Every statement
Obama makes has an expiration date," concluded Rob Port at Say
Anything Blog.
The Rest of the Week on Blogs
Beyond the debate over troop
strength in Iraq, bloggers focused on a variety of domestic issues last week.
A government warning about the threat of terrorists surgically
implanting explosives into people in an attempt to circumvent TSA screening
procedures was the second-largest story, at 11%. Bloggers mocked the news as a
ridiculous example of overreach by security officials.
"Granny, if you thought your diaper was a problem, just
wait," warned MaxRedline.
"This is an agency that needs to be eliminated-they aren't pro-active, they're
reactive. And to the detriment of all."
"My country has gone absolutely, spectacularly, stark-raving
mad, assaulting law-abiding travelers under the guise of protecting them,"
agreed Jennifer Abel at Ravings
of a Feral Genius.
The financial troubles
facing the campaign of presidential candidate Newt Gingrich were third, at 8%.
Fourth, at 6%, was the cleanup of an Exxon Mobile oil spill in Montana's
Yellowstone River.
And news that the Secret Service will investigate
the hacking of Fox News' Twitter account that resulted in false postings that
President Obama had been assassinated was fifth, at 4%.
YouTube
On the video sharing site YouTube, the most popular news
clip was something very different-the dramatic July 5 sandstorm that engulfed
the city of Phoenix, Arizona.
The video, posted by Russia Today, shows a giant wall of
dust which dramatically reduced visibility and grounded a number of airplanes.While sandstorms are not uncommon in Arizona this time of
year, the size of this particular one was highly unusual.
The No. 2 video featured the dramatic conclusion of the
Casey Anthony murder trial, which was the second-largest news story in the
mainstream media last
week. The ABC News
footage focused on Casey and her reaction while the verdicts were read by
the trial clerk. Anthony was found not guilty on the most serious charge, first
degree murder, which surprised many observers.
Most Viewed News
& Politics Videos on YouTube
For the Week of July
4-8, 2011
1. Video of the July 5 sandstorm moving through the city
of Phoenix, Arizona
2. Florida jury found Casey Anthony not
guilty of murdering her daughter on July 5
3. Video showing city mayor Duterte punching the sheriff
of the Davao Regional Trial court over the demolition of shanties in Davao City, Philippines
4. A French-language news video showing French president Sarkozy
being assaulted during a June 30 appearance in Lot-et-Garrone, France
5. BBC
video showing the Labour leader Ed Miliband repeatedly expressing his
disapproval over the strikes by public sector workers around the UK
About the New Media Index
The New Media Index is a weekly report that captures
the leading commentary of blogs and social media sites focused on news and
compares those subjects to that of the mainstream press.
PEJ's New Media Index is a companion to its weekly News Coverage
Index. Blogs and other new media are an important part of creating today's news
information narrative and in shaping the way Americans interact with the news.
The expansion of online blogs and other social media sites has allowed
news-consumers and others outside the mainstream press to have more of a role
in agenda setting, dissemination and interpretation. PEJ aims to find out what
subjects in the national news the online sites focus on, and how that compared
with the narrative in the traditional press.
A prominent Web tracking site Icerocket,
which monitors millions of blogs, uses the links to articles embedded on these
sites as a proxy for determining what these subjects are. Using this tracking
process as a base, PEJ staff compiles the lists of links weekday each day. They
capture the top five linked-to stories on each list (25 stories each week), andreads, watches or listens to these posts and
conducts a content analysis of their subject matter, just as it does for the
mainstream press in its weekly News Coverage Index.
It follows the same coding methodology
as that of the NCI. Note: When the NMI was launched in January
2009, another web-tracking site Technorati
was similarly monitoring blogs and social media. PEJ originally captured both
Technorati's and Icerocket's daily aggregation. In recent months, though, this
component of Technorati's site has been down with no indication of when it
might resume.
The priorities of the bloggers are measured in terms of
percentage of links. Each time a news blog or social media Web page adds a link
to its site directing its readers to a news story, it suggests that the author
of the blog places at least some importance on the content of that article. The
user may or may not agree with the contents of the article, but they feel it is
important enough to draw the reader's attention to it. PEJ measures the topics
that are of most interest to bloggers by compiling the quantitative information
on links and analyzing the results.
For the examination of the links from Twitter,
PEJ staff monitors the tracking site Tweetmeme. Similar to
Icerocket, Tweetmeme measures the number of times a link to a particular story
or blog post is tweeted and retweeted. Then, as we do with Icerocket, PEJ
captures the five most popular linked-to pages each weekday under the heading
of "news" as determined by Tweetmeme's method of categorization. And as with
the other data provided in the NMI, the top stories are determined in terms of
percentage of links. (One minor difference is that Tweetmeme offers the top
links over the prior 24 hours while the list used on Icerocket offers the top
links over the previous 48 hours.)
The ever-expanding British phone hacking scandal involving Rupert
Murdoch's media empire grabbed the attention of the Twitter universe last week in
a way very few stories have. And they offered virtually no sympathy to the beleaguered
Australian magnate.
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