| 1977 | 1987 | 1997 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Policy/Ideas | 6.1% | 11.0% | 8.4% |
| Political Process | 0.4% | 2.5% | 2.7% |
| War and Peace | 1.9% | 7.4% | 6.4% |
| Political Strategy | 4.2% | 6.4% | 6.7% |
| Update Analysis | 13.4% | 6.2% | 7.6% |
| Historical Outlook | 0.4% | 1.4% | 1.1% |
| Personality | 1.5% | 3.5% | 4.9% |
| Scandal | 3.8% | 14.9% | 11.6% |
| Quality of Life | 4.0% | 7.4% | 8.0% |
| Public Fear | 0.8% | 2.1% | 1.1% |
| Bizarrre | 0.4% | 0.4% | 4.4% |
| Human Interest | 1.7% | 3.5% | 6.4% |
| Straight News | 61.6% | 33.1% | 30.7% |
Straight news declined sharply as the emphasis of newspaper front page stories between 1977 and 1997.
