News Interest vs. News Coverage
News about proposed health care legislation was the most closely followed story of last week, just as it had been the prior week. More than a third (36%) say they followed news about the debate more closely than any other major story. And when people are asked what news story they are talking about with friends, the most frequent response is health care (also 36%), far outpacing mentions of other stories, including the economy.
For the second week in a row, the media gave more coverage to the health care debate than any other story. An analysis by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism (PEJ) found that the issue accounted for 19% of the newshole examined – down slightly from 25% the week before – with significant coverage focused on the politics of the debate as Congress approached its August recess without a vote in either chamber.
News Interest vs. News Coverage  | 19  | 36  | Health care reform  | 14  | Economy 15  | Michael Jackson 15  | Henry Louis Gates 11  | 8  | Cash for Clunkers  | Iran  | Interest: percent who named story as most closely followed  | Coverage: percent of news coverage devoted to story 