News IndexThe Project for Excellence in Journalism did not publish their regular news index report this week. Instead, PEJ published this campaign report. The NCI data is available here.
For the second straight week, the February 26 shooting death of African American teenager Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman was a widely discussed topic. From March 26-30, it was the No. 1 topic on Twitter and No. 3 on blogs, according to the New Media Index from the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. In addition, a video connected to the ca On Twitter last week, the largest storylines in the discussion were outrage that no arrest has been made in the case and sympathy for Martin and his family. "Don't ask. Demand justice for 17 year old Trayvon Martin's family," retweeted many users. "Heart goes out to Trayvon Martin's family, that was completely unnecessary," wrote Sir, Amit Bakshi. On blogs, the racial element of the story was the top theme in the conversation, given Martin's race and questions that have arisen about the racial attitudes of Zimmerman, a Hispanic man. The commentary on blogs and Twitter was largely in keeping with the findings of an earlier PEJ study that tracked the response to the controversial case from March 17-28. That report found that calls for justice (21% of the conversation) and sympathy for the victim (19%) were the top themes on Twitter while the racial issue (15%) was the leading topic on blogs. Many bloggers last week connected the incident to racial profiling and claimed that Martin would not have seemed suspicious to Zimmerman if he were white. They saw this tragedy as evidence of the continued presence of racism and prejudice. A number of commentators made personal connections, especially African American parents with young boys, who feared that their sons would be profiled in the same manner that they say Martin was.
While in the minority, a few bloggers argued that the racial component was being overblown by African In a much different realm, race also became an issue in reactions to the blockbuster movie The Hunger Games, which made $155 million in its opening weekend-the third biggest opening in Hollywood history. Discussion about the movie, adapted from the popular book of the same name, was the No. 1 subject on blogs last week, and the majority of that conversation revolved around the way certain characters were portrayed in the film. A few Twitterers expressed dismay at seeing African American actors playing the roles of several prominent characters in the film that they assumed were white after reading the book. That triggered a large backlash as a number of bloggers pointed out that some of these characters were described as having dark skin in the book while others were not visually described at all. Others ridiculed the assumptions that good characters in the movie had to be white. A few bloggers also connected the racial complaints about the movie with issues surrounding the Martin case. Trayvon Martin The large part of the Twitter reaction to the shooting of Trayvon Martin consisted of sympathy for the victim and indignation that no one was arrested for causing his death. "George Zimmerman makes me sick to my stomach. He needs to be behind bars as soon as possible," charged Sana Asghar. "When I hear Trayvon Martin cry out for help then heard the gun shot and silence my heart cried out to God and the family RIP," wrote Yung Royal. On blogs, most of those who focused on the racial components of the Martin killing connected it to larger problems facing African Americans. "Martin died because black boys are suspicious," posted Big Man at Raving Black Lunatic. "That's what racism teaches us. Black boys in a neighborhood with white people are a clear sign that something is wrong...Just being black is probable cause. It is an indelible brand that marks you as a deviant." "The murder - and I've seen no evidence to classify it otherwise - of Trayvon Martin reinforces the very real dangers that black Americans still face," wrote Stephen Robinson at The Intersection of Madness and Reality. "I think its time for us to stop band aiding our race related issues, America needs to confront its race and class issues not during election campaign season," advised Pious Ali at Peaceful Thoughts.* A number of bloggers, particularly African Americans, related the case to personal experiences and fears. "It's cases like this that me and other Black men paranoid as hell," asserted Langston at Straight Gansterism. "If we innocently walk home through a white neighborhood after a quick skittles run, we could be gunned down by quasi-security." "My oldest son is almost 13 and he's starting to go places with friends and no adults. I worry every day when we send him out of the house. Because he's sweet & smart & funny, but he's also black and male," shared Esoterica. Other bloggers expressed sympathy for those views. "I will never look suspicious to you. Even if I have a black hoodie, a pair of jeans and white sneakers on," declared Editor-In-Chief of GlobalGrind.com, Michael Skolnik. "I will never look suspicious to you, because of one thing and one thing only. The color of my skin. I am white."
"There is no evidence whatsoever that race was a defining factor in the tragic death of Trayvon Martin," wrote David Horowitz at Front Page Mag. "Notwithstanding the absence of evidence, this unhappy incident is now the occasion for school shut-downs, mass marches and public death threats by enraged African Americans...The display of racial outrage over this case is a national disgrace." "A very ugly truth is being revealed," added Moneyrunner at The Virginian. "The black community has at its core a burning hatred of the white community and that core is using this tragedy as an opportunity to show its naked face." And some observers thought the attention focused on the Martin case was overshadowing bigger problems. "But what about all the other young black murder victims?" wondered Fox News political analyst Juan Williams. "Nationally, nearly half of all murder victims are black. And the overwhelming majority of those black people are killed by other black people. Where is the march for them?" YouTube On YouTube last week, another element of the Trayvon Martin case was highlighted as the most-watched news clip featured a member of Congress making a show of solidarity with the victim. Rep. Gregg Harper (R-MS), who was presiding over the House, hammered the gavel and tried to prevent Rush from delivering his remarks. Harper reminded members of House rules that prohibit members from wearing hats on the floor. The Illinois congressman was then escorted off the floor by the House Sergeant at Arms.
The Hunger Games and Race Several websites, such as Jezebel and Hunger Games Tweets, collected a handful of Twitter messages that expressed disappointment over the casting of African American actors in certain roles in The Hunger Games. "Awkward moment when Rue is some black girl and not the little blonde innocent girl you picture," read one. "why does rue have to be black not gonna lie kinda ruined the movie," admitted another. "Kk call me racist but when I found out rue was black her death wasn't as sad #ihatemyself" read a third. These tweets, along with a few others, were widely quoted throughout the blogosphere and many of their authors subsequently took them down. And the response from bloggers was harsh. "As more attentive fans were quick to point out, these reactions were not only ugly but obtuse: The characters are pretty clearly described in the book as having dark brown skin," described Julian Sanchez. "The deeper stupidity here is the assumption that the default race of any character is Caucasian when it's not stated explicitly, and that casting a person of color in this case would represent some kind of deviation from the book's implicit characterization." "But what's more disturbing is a) that people think watching a young black girl die isn't as sad as watching a young white girl die; b) that people can't connect with a character just because of her race; c) that saying that on Twitter is okay, especially if you qualify it by saying that you're ‘not a racist;' and d) that we live in a culture that validates those beliefs," wrote Elise Swanson at nextgen Journal. A few bloggers connected the racial discussion about the movie with the Martin case to make a larger point. "Both Trayvon and the racist remarks about the casting of Rue are simply reminders that we can't be content and idle with our society perceives and deals with race," warned Zoe Kronovet at The Brandeis Hoot. "If people can become so enraged over something as arbitrary as a casting choice in a movie, we have a long way to go before the words ‘racial equality in America' can ever be uttered truthfully." "I lost more faith in the idea that America is close to becoming a race-blind society after reading these tweets then during all of the coverage of George Zimmerman slaying of Trayvon Martin," declared Emmanuel Felton at policymic. "Will America ever shake off its storied history of race hate?" The Rest of the Week's News on Blogs Elsewhere on blogs, the attention was focused on consumer gadgets and technology. The No. 2 subject involved a blog post about frustration directed at the Windows Phone Challenge. As a promotion for Microsoft's Windows Phone, the company created a contest in which a customer can try to complete any task faster on his or her own smart phone than an employee can using a Windows Phone. Anyone who wins the challenge can get a laptop computer. Technology blogger Sahas Katta described his attempt, which he thought was successful, but was told he did not win for unclear and arbitrary reasons. The issue of privacy was the fourth-biggest subject as bloggers linked to an article about Apple's decision to reject apps that access UDIDs, or identification numbers that are unique to each iPhone and iPad. And news about poor battery life for new Apple iPads was the fifth most-discussed subject. The Rest of the Week's News on Twitter On Twitter, three of the five top subjects last week were entertainment-focused. The second subject was a tweet from pop star Lady Gaga showing a smashed piece of birthday cake, which she said symbolized her reservations about turning 26. News that there would be a sequel to the 2004 comedy film Anchorman starring Will Ferrell was the third most linked-to subject.
Tweets from the British-Irish boy band One Direction were the No. 4 subject while a scientific study suggesting that people who eat chocolate regularly tend to be thinner than those who do not finished fifth.
The New Media Index is a weekly report that captures the news agenda of social media, with a focus on blogs, Twitter and YouTube. These platforms are an important part of today's news information narrative and shape the way Americans interact with the news. The expansion of 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. Through this New Media Index PEJ aims to find out what subjects in the national news the online sites focus on, and how that compares with the narrative in the traditional press. A detailed description of the NMI methodology, which was recently modified in August 2011, is available here. *For the sake of authenticity, PEJ has a policy of not correcting misspellings or grammatical errors that appear in direct quotes from online postings. By Paul Hitlin and Sovini Tan, PEJ The Project for Excellence in Journalism did not publish their regular news index report this week. Instead, PEJ published this campaign report. The NCI data is available here.
The Project for Excellence in Journalism did not publish a news index report this week. However, the data is available here.
In the mainstream press, Mitt Romney enjoyed his most positive coverage of the year as the delegate math made it more likely he will become the party's nominee. According to an analysis by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism, 61% of Romney's news coverage was positive compared with only 17% that was negative. But online, the conversation about Romney was much different and quite negative. There, he faced intense criticism for statements and positions on issues ranging from Planned Parenthood to Rush Limbaugh. For the week of March 12-16, the presidential campaign was the second-most discussed subject on blogs, according to PEJ's New Media Index, with almost all of the focus on Romney. For bloggers, the discussion was not about the delegate count or the primaries in Alabama and Mississippi. Instead, they roundly criticized several of Romney's positions and statements. Most of the condemnation came in response to Romney's March 13 statement that he would "get rid of" Planned Parenthood funding. Others disparaged his response to Rush Limbaugh's crudely-worded criticism of Georgetown Law student Sandra Fluke who had advocated that health insurance plans have mandates for covering contraceptives. And some focused on the discovery of a 2009 op-ed written by Romney in USA Today that touted his health care plan enacted in Massachusetts as a model for what could be done nationwide. Most of the criticism came from liberal bloggers, but some conservatives condemned Romney as well for not being conservative enough. Online, the negative tone about Romney is not new. PEJ's analysis of Twitter, for example, has shown that Romney has consistently received far more negative comments than positive. So far in 2012, more than half-54%-of the Twitter conversation about him has been negative compared with only 22% positive. Earlier PEJ research showed that in late 2011, the discussion on blogs about Romney was mixed, but trending more negative over time. Last week, the difference between the Romney narrative in the mainstream media and in the blogosphere further emphasizes the different agendas and functions of the two platforms. Romney Criticism The quote that triggered the most response among bloggers was from a March 13 interview Romney conducted with a Missouri television station where he said "Planned Parenthood, we're going to get rid of that." His campaign later clarified that he meant he would end federal contributions to the program. Less than two months ago, Planned Parenthood had been part of another controversy when the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation announced it would no longer fund the health organization. That decision spurred its own wave of online reactions which were heavily critical of the Komen decision and backed Planned Parenthood. In response to the widespread protests, Komen reversed its decision and the senior vice president of public policy, Karen Handel, resigned. In both instances, the reaction on social media strongly advocated for Planned Parenthood, suggesting that the organization has significant support online. "That's right, he said he'd get rid of Planned Parenthood-the more than 90-year-old organization that one in five American women has depended on for health care, and that for many women is their only option for cancer screenings, clinical breast exams, and critical preventive care," replied the Duval Democrats. "Apparently, we can't afford it." "Romney, in his most recent attempt to woo conservative Republican voters and the ultra- conservative Tea Party faction, has decided to show his growing distaste for women and women's issues," added Legal Speaks. "If I was Mitt's campaign manager, I'd be figuring out ways to keep him away from microphones," recommended Carl at Simply Left Behind. "Let the prepared commercials do the talking, because right now, they're spending money to win back lost ground." The controversy over Rush Limbaugh's remarks centered on a similar subject-women's health. After the conservative radio host drew widespread condemnation and advertiser boycotts for calling Sandra Fluke a "slut" and "prostitute," Romney told reporters in response that "it's not the language I would have used." Many bloggers criticized the GOP presidential hopeful for language they said was too tepid. "This guy has the worst political tin ear I've ever come across in presidential politics," declared digby at Hullabaloo. "Seriously, what in the hell is he doing running for office?" "How can you expect Romney to stand up to Putin or Ahmadi-Nejad if he can't even stand up to an obese bully with a microphone?" asked Mark Kleiman at Same Facts.* "Romney will win the GOP nomination, but at what cost?" wondered Paul Solomon. "His long list of gaffes will come back to haunt him. Having friends who own NASCAR teams is small consolation. But his $240 million won't hurt. Maybe he can buy his wife a few more Cadillacs." A BuzzFeed report about a 2009 column by Romney touting his health care plan as a model for Obama's nationwide reform spurred further outrage, mostly from conservatives who were already skeptical about Romney's credentials as a true conservative. "But the flip-flopper tag sticks to Mitt Romney for the simple reason that he's got a lot of explaining to do," wrote MulrooneyPatteson490 at Gee Thanks, President Obama. "And contrary to his claim that he never pushed an individual mandate to purchase insurance at the national level, Romney did as recently as 2009 in a USA Today op-ed. It's tough to trust a guy who is b.s.-ing about his signature accomplishment." "In any case, what we can conclude is that, insofar as he regards Romneycare as his signature achievement, Mitt Romney will be half-hearted in his quest for Obamacare's repeal," warned Jay Wiley at Austin Conservative. "When it comes to practical politics, efficiency is often for Mitt Romney the end-all and be-all. The real problem is this. Mitt Romney is a well-trained technician and not an educated man." The Rest of the Week's News on Blogs Apple's newest creation and three digital media stories led the rest of the news in the blogosphere last week. With the highly anticipated release of the Apple iPad 3 last Friday, the device was the most discussed subject. Fans linked to details such as the price and the screen resolution of the new tablet, along with a positive review at Slash Gear. This is the third time in the past month that the iPad has been among the most popular subjects in the blogosphere. Forbes magazine was the No. 3 subject as bloggers highlighted an article by Forbes reporter Lewis DVorkin about how the publication has changed in adapting its material for digital audiences. Forbes has focused more on listening and engaging with its consumers, which has resulted in record audiences of 30 million online users. "You know what's changed for me at FORBES?" reporter Deborah Jacobs is quoted as saying. "I now write for my audience, not my editor." An advice column on Mashable about how to best pick a domain name for a business website was the fourth-most linked-to subject last week. And the rapidly growing social media site, Pinterest, was the No. 5 topic. Bloggers linked to a New York Post article about how the photo-sharing site that is used primarily by women is now the fifth-largest social network, and a Business Insider story about legal concerns regarding photographs posted on Pinterest without permission from the owner. The Week's News on Twitter
On Twitter, the most linked-to subjects showed how the social media platform can generate its own memes. The No. 1 subject involved the announcement that, after 244 years, the Encyclopedia Britannica would no longer publish a printed edition, and will focus entirely on online products. Some Twitter users blamed the popularity of Wikipedia for the demise of the printed books, while most shared their surprise that a traditional staple in many households would no longer exist. The next three subjects all involved links on Twitter to specific tweets. The second-largest subject involved a collection of tweets from Derrick, aka @illPosts, regarding his hopeful views on relationships. According to Twee.co, tweets from Derrick have been the most popular on Twitter five times in the last two weeks. Many of his nearly 300,000 followers pass along his sometimes inspirational messages. A picture with a list of advice for how to keep a relationship was the No. 3 subject that included suggestions such as "Forget about ‘pride'" and "Don't be the perfect one. Be the right one." An image of Jesus on the cross was retweeted enough times to make it the fourth-largest topic. Tweets from the British-Irish boy band One Direction were the fifth subject. YouTube March 11 marked the first anniversary of the massive magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that ravaged the northeastern coast of Japan, killing over 19,000 people and triggering the world's worst nuclear crisis in a quarter-century. Last week, the tragedy was back again among the top news videos on YouTube after being a featured subject for six consecutive weeks last March. The No. 1 video showed dramatic amateur footage of the tsunami waves overtaking the streets of a town in Japan. Cars can be seen being swept away and surrounding structures swallowed by walls of raging water.
About the New Media Index The New Media Index is a weekly report that captures the news agenda of social media, with a focus on blogs, Twitter and YouTube. These platforms are an important part of today's news information narrative and shape the way Americans interact with the news. The expansion of 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. Through this New Media Index PEJ aims to find out what subjects in the national news the online sites focus on, and how that compares with the narrative in the traditional press. A detailed description of the NMI methodology, which was recently modified in August 2011, is available here. *For the sake of authenticity, PEJ has a policy of not correcting misspellings or grammatical errors that appear in direct quotes from online postings. By Paul Hitlin and Sovini Tan, PEJ
The Project for Excellence in Journalism did not publish a news index report this week. However, the data is available here.
The Project for Excellence in Journalism did not publish a news index report this week. However, the data is available here.
Breitbart himself used the new media landscape to spread his brand of combative conservatism, creating sites such as Big Government and Big Journalism and maintaining a very active Twitter presence. He was perhaps best known for his role in two controversies-posting the lewd tweeted photos that led to the resignation of Congressman Anthony Weiner and publishing misleadingly edited remarks by a black USDA worker that led to her departure. From February 27-March 2, Breitbart's passing was the No. 5 subject on blogs, according to the New Media Index from the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. (Since his death occurred late in the week, that ranking is not fully indicative of the interest online.) To further gauge the social media reaction, PEJ used computer technology from the media monitoring firm Crimson Hexagon to identify the tone and themes of the conversation about Breitbart on both Twitter and blogs from March 1-March 4. The key finding was that the tributes to Breitbart outnumbered the criticism by a rate of almost 3-1 on blogs and almost 2-1 on Twitter. And a significant chunk of the online conversation was devoted to speculation about whether Breitbart-widely reported to have died of natural causes-might have been a victim of foul play.
The conservatives who dominated the conversation marked Breitbart's passing with fondne The reaction differed little on the two social media platforms. In the blogosphere, half the commentary was made up of either tributes to Breitbart (at 39%) or positive speculation about the work Breitbart had been planning (at 11%), with most of that relating to his promised exposes of President Obama's years as a student at Harvard. That was more than three times the amount of discussion, 14%, that was critical of his career and life. On Twitter, 41% of the commentary expressed fondness for Breitbart (34% tributes and 7% regarding future plans) while 18% was negative. On both forms of social media, a conspiracy theory entered the conversation that focused on the cause of Breitbart's death (15% on blogs and 10% on Twitter). Some commenters wondered whether he died of natural causes, or whether he was murdered by political enemies. In particular, some connected the planned release of the Obama Harvard tapes to the timing of his passing. Breitbart Dies On the morning of March 1, Breitbart's website, Bigjournalism.com, announced his death. The controversial blogger and activist died after collapsing during a walk near his Los Angeles home shortly after midnight. As the news was reported by various news outlets and spread on Twitter, supporters expressed their sympathy. "I just confirmed with someone close to him that social media entrepreneur and conservative warrior Andrew Breitbart has passed away," wrote blogger Michelle Malkin. "I'm stunned. He was kinetic, brash, relentless, full of fight, the bane of the Left, and a mentor to the next generation of right-wing activists and citizen journalists." "wow Andrew Breitbart dead at age 43~Conservative icon! He was one of my heroes due to his courage," tweeted craigfear. "Andrew Breitbart was a great guy and helped the Tea Party and bloggers of all stripes out tremendously," agreed stix1972. A few shared firsthand experiences. "I met Andrew briefly last year at a meet and greet up in Orange County, CA," wrote Left Coast Rebel. "My friend Donald Douglas and I were amazed at the guy's energy and zeal for fighting the good fight...."* Many like-minded activists took the news as a call to continue his political work. "Breitbart showed us how to stand up to the malfeasance of the progressive movement. When evil appears, we can unite as a people to withstand the tsunami of hate," declared Joseph Hall at The Lonely Conservative. "Some people on the left may think that the devastating loss of Andrew Breitbart has broken the spirit of the conservative new media. In fact, I think the effect has been the opposite," suggested American Glob. "I can't speak for everyone but while I'm incredibly sad about the loss of Andrew, I feel energized and determined." "Get involved in a tea party group, or a political group, but get active. Andrew would have wanted that," implored Kevin DuJuan at Hillbuzz. Some supporters focused on the project that Breitbart had been working on prior to his passing-releasing videos of Obama from his days at Harvard that supposedly showed the President as a radical proponent of class warfare and racial division. According to some reports, Breitbart was set to release the tapes beginning on the day he died. (Steve Bannon, a filmmaker and friend of Breitbart, told talk-show host Sean Hannity that the tapes and information would be released despite Breitbart's passing. On March 5, the first report of such information was published on Biggovernment.com in an article that claimed in 1998, Obama attended a Chicago play called The Love Song of Saul Alinsky and participated in a subsequent panel discussion. On March 7, Biggovernment issued a second report that featured footage of Obama praising Harvard Professor Derrick Bell in 1990, who they called a "racialist" figure. While the site claimed the footage had never been seen before, PBS issued a statement that the same video was shown in 2008 as part of a FRONTLINE special on Obama.) More than a few people connected the timing of Breitbart's death with the release of Obama information and suspected that his passing may not have been of natural causes. "Andrew Breitbart died of natural causes? Or was he taken out?" asked Miguel Cerda Jr. on Twitter. "I'm not a fan of conservatives but his death is REALLY suspicious hmmm..." "I, too, feel he was murdered," read a comment from Tracie at WorldNetDaily. "I TRULY believe with all my heart, that the Obama administration will do WHATEVER is necessary to get him re-elected...even if it means shutting someone up, permanently!" "Andrew Breitbart just died of 'natural causes' ??? He must have been about to break something BIG against the establishment. Try killed him," tweeted dasilvalaw. While Breitbart's fans led the conversation online, some on the other side of the ideological divide pulled no punches in expressing their dislike for the man. "Woke up today & decided I'm fine with Andrew Breitbart not being alive," added Sean Kent. "Breitbart made sport out of others adversity, playing like a third rate roller derby hack revered only by white trash who dont know better," tweeted JaneQPublic. Some bloggers justified their harsh responses by pointing to comments Breitbart made in 2009 immediately following the death of Senator Ted Kennedy. At the time, Breitbart wrote that "Kennedy was a special pile of human excrement" and "I'm more than willing to go off decorum to ensure THIS MAN [Kennedy] is not beatified...Sorry, he destroyed lives. And he knew it." "Why is it that I should have any compassion for a man whose very existence in public life was nothing but the height of vileness?" wondered Broadway Carl. "He walked the earth with the sole purpose of pushing his political ideology not by extolling the virtues on his own party, but by vilifying the opposition though lies and deceit." "Good riddance," shared bluzdude at Darwinfish 2. "OK, I don't really wish death on anyone, but I won't spend any time mourning the passing of this shyster." At least one critic, however, decided to use a different tactic. "And following my grandmothers advice, I have nothing to say," posted Jon at A Lie a Day. The Rest of the Week's News on Blogs
Elsewhere on blogs last week, the other leading subjects all involved technology and smart devices. The No. 1 topic involved rumors and news about Apple's soon to-be-released iPad 3. (The new model will be available on March 16.) Bloggers followed every morsel of information they could find on the device, including speculation about the cost and a picture of a plane that might have been carrying shipments of the new iPads from China to the U.S. A variety of news related to other Apple products finished second. Some bloggers highlighted a post on the NewYork Times technology blog suggesting that some applications on Apple devices were taking people's address books and pictures without their permission. Others focused on news that Apple purchased an app search and discovery platform known as Chomp. Speculation about a different smartphone, Samsung's Galaxy S III, was the third largest topic. And a post on Google's blog about the rapid expansion of the use of Android phones, with a year-on-year growth rate of more than 250%, was No. 4.
The Rest of the Week's News on Twitter On Twitter last week, entertainment subjects, and specifically teenage singers, led the conversation. Tweets from the "boy bands" Super Junior and One Direction were two of the top five most linked-to subjects. This marks the eighth time in 2012 that at least one of those international super-groups was among the top subjects on Twitter. The phenomenon of international music groups using social media to win American fans received mainstream news attention as the New York Times published an article about the growing popularity of Korean singers, including the group One Direction. Tweets from pop star Justin Bieber were the No. 2 subject last week while the trailer for the upcoming movie, Marvel's The Avengers, finished third. And tweets from the account @The90sLife featuring a movie and popular snack from the decade of the 1990s were the fifth subject. YouTube The buildup to the March 4 Russian presidential election has been popular on YouTube during the past few months. Last week was the third time in the past five weeks that clips focusing on Russia dominated the most viewed news videos. Last week's No. 2 video was footage from the February 28 television debate between candidates Vladimir Zhirinovsky and Mikhail Prokhorov. The debate grew tense when singer Alla Pugacheva, a Prokhorov supporter, questioned Zhirinovsky's public attitude and called him "a disgrace." Zhirinovsky, the leader of the right-wing nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) who is well known for strong rhetoric, responded to Pugacheva by saying, "You artists, like prostitutes, lie underneath any leader for money. You all lay under Brezhnev, under Gorbachev, under Yeltsin, under Putin. Tomorrow, I will enter the Kremlin, you will all lie under me and I will spit on you and wipe my feet on you." (The translation is courtesy of the New York Times.) The No. 5 video last week featured the same hour-long February 28 television presidential debate in its entirety.
About the New Media Index To see the new methodology for how PEJ arrives at the list of most discussed stories in social media, click here. This special edition of PEJ's New Media Index utilizes computer technology from the media monitoring firm Crimson Hexagon. Based on an examination of more than 6,000 blog posts and 200,000 tweets, this report goes beyond the normal methodology of PEJ's index to look at the tone of conversation related to the Andrew Breitbart's passing. Crimson Hexagon is a software platform that identifies statistical patterns in words used in online texts. Researchers enter key terms using Boolean search logic so the software can identify relevant material to analyze. PEJ draws its analysis samples from several million blogs. Then a researcher trains the software to classify documents using examples from those collected posts. Finally, the software classifies the rest of the online content according to the patterns derived during the training. According to Crimson Hexagon: "Our technology analyzes the entire social internet (blog posts, forum messages, Tweets, etc.) by identifying statistical patterns in the words used to express opinions on different topics." Information on the tool itself can be found at http://www.crimsonhexagon.com/ and the in depth methodologies can be found here http://www.crimsonhexagon.com/products/whitepapers/. The time frame for the analysis is March 1-4, 2012. PEJ used the keyword "Breitbart" in a Boolean search to narrow the universe to relevant posts. *For the sake of authenticity, PEJ has a policy of not correcting misspellings or grammatical errors that appear in direct quotes from online postings. By Paul Hitlin and Sovini Tan, PEJ
The Project for Excellence in Journalism did not publish a news index report this week. However, the data is available here.
Peter Gleick, a well-known scientist and advocate for the existence of climate change, admitted he used a false identity to obtain internal documents from the Heartland Institute, a libertarian think tank that questions th For the week of February 20-24, the controversy involving Gleick, labeled by some as "FakeGate," was the top news story on blogs, according to the New Media Index from the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. Since PEJ began tracking social media in 2009, there have been 14 weeks when global warming has been among the top five most discussed subjects among bloggers. And in most of those instances-as was the case last week-skeptics filled a larger segment of the conversation than defenders of the science. To critics of global warming science, the episode brought back memories of the "ClimateGate" scandal of November 2009 when emails leaked from a British research unit raised questions about the methods used by some scientists to defend climate change. Gleick's unethical actions, they argued, were further proof that global warming militants need to use dishonest methods to defend their views. Those who believe in global warming, on the other hand, focused more on what the documents revealed about the Heartland Institute-including the organization's funding and their plans to influence public education. There was a split among those global warming believers, however, as to whether Gleick's questionable method justified the means. Gleick and the Heartland Institute On February 14, an anonymous person released online internal documents from the Heartland Institute. The memos showed oil companies and other corporate interests were behind the efforts to deny climate change and influence education. Several blogs, including Desmogblog, published the memos while a number of news organizations, including the New York Times and the Huffington Post, reported on the documents. Heartland released a statement saying that documents had been inappropriately leaked, although they claimed that at least one was a forgery. Bloggers who backed global warming science jumped on the news to raise questions about the motives of organizations like Heartland. "Heartland raised more than $2 million from insurance companies...another half million from tobacco producers...and raked in a $14 million donation from one anonymous individual," described Squatlo-Rant. "Obviously, keeping doubt in the public's mind about man-made climate change is in the best interests of those who currently profit from doing business as usual, regardless of the outcome for mankind or the planet itself." "One can only hope that American teachers are able to put up a strong resistance to this well-funded propaganda machine," added Lorne at Education and Its Discontents. Within two days of the release, details emerged regarding how the documents were obtained. According to Heartland, someone pretending to be a board member requested the documents from their annual meeting. That news, along with certain technical components of the documents, led some reporters and bloggers to question if the documents were real. Megan McArdle of The Atlantic gave a number of reasons why she thought at least one specific document was fake. That document, she noted, was scanned into a computer while all the others were PDFs generated from electronic files. She also suggested that the language of that memo was different from the others as was its "worldview." Enough questions were raised about the validity of the documents that on February 20, Peter Gleick published a note on the Huffington Post admitting he attained them using a false identity. "Given the potential impact however, I attempted to confirm the accuracy of the information in this document," Gleick confessed. "In an effort to do so, and in a serious lapse of my own and professional judgment and ethics, I solicited and received additional materials directly from the Heartland Institute under someone else's name." Gleick maintained the documents were authentic, but the admission of impropriety from a scientist renowned for his criticisms of global warming skeptics became the focus of the story. "Why would a prominent scientist/global warming activist commit acts of fraud and theft against global warming skeptics and then send to the media a forged document containing fictitious, over-the-top schemes that would embarrass skeptics?" asked Joanne Nova. "Answer: Because global warming activists cannot muster sufficient credible science to win the debate." "The irony of it all, this [confession is] coming from a scientist that has made a particular point about integrity and written many essays and even testified to congress on the subject," declared Judith Curry, a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology.* A number of conservative bloggers connected Gleick's actions with the environmental and progressive movements. "The environmental movement is as promiscuous with its ‘ethics' as it is with ‘The Science'. You can make stuff up, apparently, just so long as you do so in order to ‘save the planet'," charged Ben Pile at Spiked. "Some time ago I wrote a commentary saying that some of the global warming conspirators needed to go to jail for their crimes," wrote Alan Caruba at Warning Signs. "Perhaps their greatest crime was the debasement of meteorological and climate science. Beyond that, their attacks on the reputation of the brave scientists who stepped forward to refute them is the very definition of slander and libel." "But it's not just the global warming crowd that suffers from these ethical lapses. It's a progressive trait," concluded Tom Bowler at Libertarian Leanings. "Progressives invariably argue that their crisis du jour is so severe and their cause is such a moral imperative that anything they do, anything at all, that advances their cause is justified." While Gleick's admission did little to sway those who support global warming science, there was a split as to whether his deceptive actions were justified for a larger purpose. Some argued Gleick had acted inappropriately. "Setting aside the questionable ethics involved, Gleick committed a big tactical blunder," posted Marc Gunther. "Let's hope that we can all agree that it's not OK to forge a document, not even when the planet's future is at stake." "If climate discourse is a street fight, then we...should not just fight back with the same dirty tactics," advised Simon Donner, a professor at the University of British Columbia. "There is no doubt that planet is warming. The question is can we keep our cool long enough to find a solution?" Others suggested he should be commended for the information he disclosed, regardless of his method. "Without condoning or promoting an act of dishonesty, it's fair to say that Gleick took a significant personal risk - and by standing and taking responsibility for his actions, he has shown himself willing to pay the price. For his courage, his honor, and for performing a selfless act of public service, he deserves our gratitude and applause," praised Richard Littlemore at Desmogblog. "Revealing to the public the active, vicious, and well-funded campaign of denial that seeks to delay action against climate change likely constitutes a classic public good," explained Stephan Lewandowsky, professor at University of Western Australia. "It is a matter of personal moral judgment whether that public good justifies Gleick's sting operation to obtain those revelations." The Rest of the Week's News on Blogs The other subjects to gain attention among bloggers last week were a mix of technology and politics. The No. 2 subject involved information about new Google products. Of particular interest was a NY Times report about the development of Google-made glasses that will stream information about what a person is seeing to the wearer's eyeballs in real time. The glasses will automatically convey details about the locations and people someone is viewing. The product, rumored to be released by the end of the year, will cost between $250 and $600. Various stories about the presidential campaign finished third. Bloggers highlighted several controversial statements made by Republican candidate Rick Santorum in 2008 including a claim that Satan was systematically destroying America and that anyone who turned the basis of Christianity into a "liberation theology story" had chosen to "abandon Christendom." Bloggers also took note of a Forbes story quoting billionaire Sheldon Adelson as declaring that he might give up to $100 million to Newt Gingrich or other Republicans to support their campaign efforts. Rumors about the iPad 3, which is due to be released in early March, including a photo of the product's logic board with an "A5X" system of a chip, were the fourth largest subject. And a scandal involving Arizona Sheriff Paul Babeu, who became a national figure due to his strident opposition to illegal immigration, was the No. 5 subject. Babeu's former boyfriend claimed the sheriff threatened him with deportation if he refused to conceal their long-term relationship. In a press conference, Babeu acknowledged he was gay, but denied allegations that he had threatened his partner. The Rest of the Week's News on Twitter On Twitter, famous musicians and multiple efforts to spread advice and goodwill led the week.
Tweets from the British-Irish boy band One Direction, including pictures of the group on tour, were the most linked-to subject last week. The issue of bullying was the No. 2 subject as many tweets linked to a blunt message about the hazards of teenage harassment. "The boy you called lame," warned the posting, "He has to work every night to support his family...Re-post if you are against bullying." Several tweets using the hashtag #ConfessionNight made up the third-biggest subject. Among them were advice involving love and sex including one message that read, "True love does not come by finding the perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly." The fourth topic included tweets and videos from the Korean boy band Super Junior. And the fifth subject was a video message from professional wrestler CM Punk condemning singer Chris Brown for his checkered past including an incident of domestic violence. Chris Brown has drawn criticism on social media before as one week earlier when he was the focus of much of the conversation on blogs regarding his appearance at the Grammys, where he won the award for best R&B album. YouTube For the second time in a month, events in Russia dominated the most viewed news videos on YouTube. (The country was also the focus of some of the most popular videos the week of January 30 - February 3.) Two of the clips included the use of digital video technology to create satirical videos focused on prominent politicians. The top video, which was also the No. 1 video the previous week, was a digitally altered 50-second clip called ‘The Arrest of Vladimir Putin.' The fake news report in Russian showed the Prime Minister locked inside a cage while on trial for corruption and terrorism. The video was created using video footage of the 2010 trial of former businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky. The No. 2 video was a February 13 Russian presidential debate that included representatives of the candidates. Nikita Mikhalkov, a film director, spoke for Putin, while billionaire candidate Mikhail Prokhorov was represented by his 55-year-old sister, publisher and philanthropist, Irina. The No. 5 video was a fake movie trailer featuring clips of Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the leader of the right-wing nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), and the 2011 action movie ‘Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol.' Zhirinovsky, known for his inflammatory statements, was in the YouTube top news videos the week of January 30.
About the New Media Index The New Media Index is a weekly report that captures the news agenda of social media, with a focus on blogs, Twitter and YouTube. These platforms are an important part of today's news information narrative and shape the way Americans interact with the news. The expansion of 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. Through this New Media Index PEJ aims to find out what subjects in the national news the online sites focus on, and how that compares with the narrative in the traditional press. A detailed description of the NMI methodology, which was recently modified in August 2011, is available here. *For the sake of authenticity, PEJ has a policy of not correcting misspellings or grammatical errors that appear in direct quotes from online postings. By Paul Hitlin and Sovini Tan, PEJ |
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The often explosive issue of race became a common thread in social media last week as two very different kinds of stories generated passionate conversations.
se was the most-viewed news clip on YouTube last week.
American activists for political reasons.
social and mainstream media.
praise than criticism.
ss, referring to him as the leader of a war against the institutional left. Many talked about continuing his work after his death. While not as prominent, much of the reaction from liberals was harshly critical of the man and his methods.
e existence of global warming. What ensued was a passionate and often angry conversation about the science of global warming, ethics, and the motives of those on both sides of the debate. While many bloggers weighed in, voices of climate change skeptics were more numerous.
