http://www.journalism.org/by_the_numbers Journalism.org Numbers Feed en-US http://www.journalism.org/node/30816 The violence in Syria continues to escalate, and with it comes an uptick in victims who are there to report on the conflict. PEJ looks at how the country’s current civil war ranks among other conflicts in recent years when it comes to journalism casualties. http://www.journalism.org/node/30390 The July 27 opening night extravaganza from the London Olympics produced a big response on Twitter. But social media users offered a wide array of opinions—ranging from kudos to pans to confusion about what they were seeing. NBC, the U.S. broadcaster of the games, didn’t escape criticism either. http://www.journalism.org/node/30334 The recent hiring of Today show anchor Savannah Guthrie highlights the intense competition for viewers in the morning news world. PEJ looks at how those network morning shows differ from their evening counterparts when it comes to the news agenda. http://www.journalism.org/node/29609 Media attention to the continuing financial problems within the European Union spiked last week as Greece contemplated withdrawing from the organization.  PEJ examines how and when the U.S. media have covered this ongoing story in the past 12 months and how that coverage compares to other subjects. http://www.journalism.org/node/29531 The 2008 nomination battles won by Barack Obama and John McCain fueled extensive presidential campaign coverage in the early part of that year. So far in 2012, the press is paying considerably less attention to the race for the White House, according to a PEJ analysis. http://www.journalism.org/node/29431 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. http://www.journalism.org/node/29384 The Beltway debate over student loan rates was among the top stories in the mainstream media last week, with much of that focus on the political skirmishing. But on Twitter last week, more of the conversation was about the need to keep the rates low and their impact on students. http://www.journalism.org/node/29291 After a slow start, coverage of the shooting of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin generated the most sustained substantial coverage of any race-related story that PEJ has studied since it began tracking news in 2007. Here is how that coverage compares with other major news events that had a strong racial component. http://www.journalism.org/node/29141 Slightly over a year ago, turmoil across the Middle East became one of the biggest stories in the U.S. media. Today, although unrest and political uncertainty continue to ripple throughout the region, the media’s interest in the story has virtually vanished. http://www.journalism.org/node/29017 The once raging health care debate resurfaced as major news last week thanks to crucial Supreme Court hearings. But that comes after nearly two years when the topic generated only modest to minimal attention. A PEJ report looks at the ups and downs of health care coverage. http://www.journalism.org/node/28869 Events in Afghanistan do not always generate significant media coverage, but the recent killing of 16 civilians, allegedly by a U.S. soldier, certainly did. What other events have produced a spike in coverage of the 10-year-old war? http://www.journalism.org/node/28705 Until last week, it had been a while since a weather event generated major media attention. That changed when dozens of tornadoes ripped through the south and Midwest, killing more than 40 people. What other weather stories have made news in the past year? http://www.journalism.org/node/28433 The debate over whether religious institutions should have to cover birth control peaked last week when the Obama Administration modified its policy. That controversy, however, made much bigger news in some parts of the media than in others. http://www.journalism.org/node/28273 The two least covered State of the Union speeches in recent years have had something in common. A PEJ examination of media attention to these major presidential addresses reveals what that is. http://www.journalism.org/node/28171 NewsCorp this week announced plans to launch of a new Spanish-language channel. The industry leader, Univision, is introducing three new channels this spring. The Project for Excellence in Journalism looks at recent data that speaks to the recent influx of Spanish-language programming.  http://www.journalism.org/node/28108 Though the economy and jobs may be the No. 1 issue in the race for president, media coverage of the U.S. financial crisis has declined markedly in recent months. PEJ looks into the possible cause of the drop off. http://www.journalism.org/node/27764 The volatile race for the GOP presidential nomination has made the campaign a major story in recent months. But how has that coverage compared to the attention devoted to the 2008 race for president four years earlier? http://www.journalism.org/node/27650 Once a fixture in the news, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has largely been out of the headlines for the past two months. That comes after a remarkable run of press attention to someone who was never a candidate for the presidency. http://www.journalism.org/node/27386 The sexual abuse charges involving a former coach at Penn State University became a major national story last week. http://www.journalism.org/node/27121 With the announcement of a complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq by year's end, how much have Americans been hearing about that country in recent years? http://www.journalism.org/node/27043 The anti-Wall Street demonstrations which started in lower Manhattan, but have since sprung up around globe, have been generating increasing media attention in recent weeks. How does coverage of these demonstrations compare with attention to the Tea Party protests in 2009 and 2010? http://www.journalism.org/node/26761 In the five years since Calderon began to crack down on the cartels, the violence in Mexico has claimed the lives of nearly 40,000 people—including 45 journalists. But the story has generated little attention in the U.S. media. How does coverage of the Mexican drug war compare to other issues along the border as well as other international affairs? http://www.journalism.org/node/26543 Sunday September 11 is the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. PEJ examines which issues relating to 9/11 have attracted the most media attention in the past five years. http://www.journalism.org/node/26453 The East African drought and famine has affected 12 million people in the Horn of Africa. But the crisis has generated very little attention in the U.S. media. PEJ investigates the coverage of this crisis as well as other events in Sub-Saharan Africa. http://www.journalism.org/node/26352 The ongoing national economic crisis has remained a major topic in the news since the market crash in 2008. But which economic topics have been highest on the media agenda in 2011? And which have been lower? PEJ examines this year's economic coverage. http://www.journalism.org/node/26264 After a strong second-place showing in the Iowa straw poll, Ron Paul and his supporters accused the press of giving short shrift to his candidacy. PEJ examines how much coverage the presidential and potential presidential candidates have received in 2011 and where Paul ranks on the list.  http://www.journalism.org/node/26097 After President Obama, the top newsmaker among politicians and public officials this year is a congresswoman who survived a deadly shooting spree in January. What other figures have generated significant media attention thus far in 2011 and why have they been in the headlines? http://www.journalism.org/node/26009 The rancorous debt ceiling debate has been an increasingly large news topic as the August 2 deadline draws nearer. If the showdown in part involves a game of assigning blame, which political figures has the media focused on most as the debates continue?  http://www.journalism.org/node/25927 The scandal rocking Rupert Murdoch’s media empire—as well as the highest circles of British politics and law enforcement—has been a major story in the U.S. news media for two weeks. But how has Murdoch’s cable news channel here covered the story? A PEJ examination has some answers. http://www.journalism.org/node/25849 Last week’s not guilty outcome in the Casey Anthony murder trial generated major media attention, registering as the No. 2 story of the week. How does coverage of that decision compare to other high-profile court cases since PEJ began the News Coverage Index more than four years ago? http://www.journalism.org/node/25761 In the first half of 2011, foreign events weighed heavily in the U.S. news media agenda. The Arab Spring, Japan tsunami, and the death of Osama bin Laden were just some of the issues making foreign news so big. How does the coverage of these foreign issues compare to international coverage the last four years?  http://www.journalism.org/node/25674 Michele Bachmann just announced her formal bid for the White House. This is following strong showings in Iowa polls and debate appearances. But how does coverage of the congresswoman compare to her running mates and to perhaps her biggest rival Sarah Palin? Is momentum beginning to shift? http://www.journalism.org/node/25519 Scott Pelley made his debut as anchor of the CBS Evening News June 6—the same day Anthony Weiner admitted to sending lewd photographs using Twitter. How did Pelley cover the scandal compared with rival networks? http://www.journalism.org/node/25502 In a move that has generated plenty of media interest, former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann will debut his “Countdown” show on the Current TV cable network on June 20. That could represent something of a new start for a young cable operation that is searching for eyeballs and attention. http://www.journalism.org/node/25416 The 2012 presidential election may have started off more slowly than four years ago, with candidates only recently beginning their formal campaigns. But the race has picked up recently, and so has the media’s attention. How has coverage changed this year and how does it compare to that of 2008 Presidential Race? http://www.journalism.org/node/25333 It wasn’t long ago that protests in Egypt and fighting in Libya were driving the mainstream news agenda. Today, significant violence and unrest continue to roil the region, but the story unfolds largely out of the glare of the media spotlight. PEJ looks at how coverage of the Middle East turmoil has plunged in recent weeks. http://www.journalism.org/node/25249 President Obama’s May 19 Mideast speech and his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu generated major media attention last week. But how does this attention compare to other Israeli-related events? The Project for Excellence in Journalism examines which events put the country in the spotlight over the last four years. http://www.journalism.org/node/25152 Prior to his death on May 1, Osama bin Laden had become something of a forgotten figure in the U.S. media. Indeed, a PEJ examination of four years of coverage of the al Qaeda leader finds that over that period of time, he basically generated coverage for only one thing—the release of threatening tapes. http://www.journalism.org/node/24794 The earthquake, tsunami and continued radiation threat in Japan have become a major media story over the past five weeks. PEJ examines how the media have handled this ongoing and complicated story and looks at how coverage of this disaster compares with another recent earthquake. http://www.journalism.org/node/24709 The media paid a great deal of attention to last week’s budget crisis, which threatened to shutter the federal government before it was resolved with an eleventh-hour deal. But those dramatics proved to be only the fourth-biggest story about Capitol Hill showdowns in the past four years. What other legislative battles made even more news? http://www.journalism.org/node/24623 In the past four years, it has been the rare story that has commanded at least half the media coverage in a given week. But in 2011, a series of dramatic events—including a natural disaster, protests and revolution and a shooting rampage—have all crossed that threshold in the first three months. http://www.journalism.org/node/24562 Given the growth of digital news audiences, newspapers can now attract readers with both the print product and the online version. But new data show that a number of papers saw their combined audience decline in 2010. http://www.journalism.org/node/24254 It was a subject that captivated the U.S. media during the heated town hall confrontations in the summer of 2009 and generated major coverage as the legislative battle came to a head in early 2010. But since it became law, health care reform has had a difficult time generating headlines. http://www.journalism.org/node/24162 The continuing demonstrations and violence that have rippled through much of the Middle East and North Africa in the past two months have commanded the attention of the U.S. media. But in a story that has kept journalists moving from hot spot to hot spot, which countries have generated the most attention? http://www.journalism.org/node/24112 Much of the media attention last week was focused on Wisconsin where, in a story with national implications, unions battled the governor over his plan to curtail their collective bargaining rights. What other state house and state policy issues have attracted the press spotlight in recent years? http://www.journalism.org/node/24025 Former USDA official Shirley Sherrod recently filed suit against blogger and activist Andrew Breitbart for posting a deceptive clip of a speech that quickly led to a forced resignation. An analysis of 30 years of First Amendment cases reveals how media defendants tend to fare in such courtroom battles. http://www.journalism.org/node/23917 The recent turmoil in the Middle East has proved to be the biggest international story of the past four years—topping coverage of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the earthquake in Haiti. How many of those stories were reported directly from Egypt and the surrounding region?  And which media sectors provided the most on-scene coverage? http://www.journalism.org/node/23821 At this time four years ago, the media were already tracking a 2008 presidential race that featured historic candidacies by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Thus far in 2011, coverage of the next presidential contest is virtually non-existent, accounting for about 10% of the attention it received in January 2007. PEJ looks at what a difference four years makes. http://www.journalism.org/node/23692 China dominated U.S. front pages this past week when Chinese President Hu Jintao visited Washington, D.C. The Project for Excellence in Journalism examines what other events and issues have put China on the U.S. media’s radar in the last four years. http://www.journalism.org/node/23461 This week, the first female Speaker of the House of Representatives relinquished her gavel as Republicans assumed control of that legislative body. But in the past two years, Pelosi—both as a legislator and political symbol— generated a substantial amount of coverage. PEJ looks at when and why Pelosi generated those headlines.