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New Media Index: Our Weekly Content Analysis

This section contains the complete archive of all the PEJ New Media Indexes. They are published below in chronological order, but our archive is also searchable. Use the key word search on the left to find reports about specific news events.

  • PEJ New Media Index, October 5-9: Email and Nobel Dominate the Blogs

    For much of the week, news of an email scam that compromised thousands of passwords animated the blogosphere. Late in the week, however, the focus shifted abruptly to Barack Obama’s surprising Nobel Peace Prize. On YouTube, meanwhile, a Letterman mea culpa drew the most hits.
  • PEJ New Media Index, September 28-October 2: A Celebrity Crime Case Spurs Outrage in the Blogosphere

    The arrest of Roman Polanski dominated the blogosphere last week, with online commentators overwhelmingly condemning the filmmaker for the crime he committed three decades ago. And a CNN sparring match between anchor Wolf Blitzer and filmmaker Michael Moore was among the week’s most viewed YouTube news videos.
  • PEJ New Media Index, September 21-25: Afghanistan and a Charge of Racism Lead the Blogs

    Bloggers last week returned to two issues that generated interest in recent weeks. For the second time in a month, Afghanistan led the news in the blogosphere. And musician Dave Matthews sparked a second round of heated online debate with some comments about racism. On Twitter, for this week at least, the focus moved beyond Twitter itself.
  • PEJ New Media Index, September 14-18: Bloggers Focus on Obama’s Opposition

    A discussion that revolved around the critics of Barack Obama and his policies dominated the blogosphere last week—with the Tea Party protests and Jimmy Carter’s remarks about race as the main catalyst. On YouTube, an exhibition of public rudeness was the most viewed video.
  • PEJ New Media Index, September 7-11: A Rat and an Outburst Overtake the Blogosphere

    The discovery of a giant rat species in Papua New Guinea and the shout of a Congressman during Obama’s health care speech led the blogs last week. Twitter, on the other hand, proved to be ever more self-absorbed. And on YouTube, it was still health care, albeit in a more civil tone.
  • PEJ New Media Index, August 31-September 4, 2009: In the Blogosphere, Afghanistan Emerges as a Hot Topic

    A dovish article by a conservative columnist triggered a heated blogger’s debate over Afghanistan last week while the major topics on Twitter were all related to technology. On YouTube, health care protests continue to make for popular viewing, though not quite as popular as a dancing school teacher.
  • PEJ New Media Index, August 24-28, 2009: Bipartisan Kennedy Condolences Dominate the Blogosphere

    Bloggers, even more so than the mainstream press, dedicated the week to the passing of Senator Ted Kennedy. Twitter users linked to Kennedy as well, but were more caught up in new legislation that could affect their online activities. And according to YouTube clicks, health care town halls still make for good viewing.
  • PEJ New Media Index, August 17-21, 2009: In Social Media, Zombies and Cocaine are the Hot Topics

    Health care or zombies and cocaine? In the debate over which is better fodder for discussion, social media last week chose the latter pair—a simulation of a worldwide zombie attack and traces of cocaine on much of the U.S. currency. On YouTube, though, confrontations from the health care town hall meetings captured the most eyeballs.
  • PEJ New Media Index, August 10-14, 2009: Heated Health Care Battle Explodes in the Blogosphere

    For the first week all year, health care was the leading topic of conversation among bloggers. And it was an often contentious conversation as liberals and conservatives accused each other of spreading untruths—and sometimes worse. On Twitter, technology-focused stories led the agenda as Iran dropped out of the top story list for the first time since the disputed June 12 elections.
  • PEJ New Media Index, August 3-7, 2009: Twitter Troubles are the Top Topic for Tweeters

    Last week, for the first time in two months, the most discussed news story on Twitter was something other than unrest in Iran. Instead, it was Twitter itself and the outage the site faced on August 6. In the blogosphere, attention was focused on an unusual lawsuit. And on YouTube, the top videos involved rising political temperatures in the dog days of summer.