2007-02-22-皮尤-Iraq_Most_Closely_Followed_and_Covered_News_Story_10页_55kb

News Interest Index: Iraq War Continues to Dominate, Anna Nicole Smith and Winter Weather Follow Closely

Key Findings

• The Iraq war remained the most closely followed and most covered news story for the seventh consecutive week (Week of February 12, 2007).

• Anna Nicole Smith's death, following her January 2007 death, generated significant media attention (20-24% of cable news coverage in the immediate aftermath) but less sustained public interest than the Iraq war. Younger women showed particular interest and mostly used cable news for information. Among the general public, it was the second-highest topic for open-ended mention, edging out President Bush, but this was during a peak media period.

• Winter weather ranked second in public interest, with nearly 30% reporting very close following, making it the second-highest interest story. However, weather was ranked lower in media coverage importance compared to the Smith story.

• Public interest in the 2008 presidential campaign declined but remained steady compared to media coverage.

• Coverage of the Iran conflict was substantial (7% of media newshole), but public interest lagged compared to coverage, with Republicans showing more interest.

• Interest in North Korea (the nuclear agreement) by the public was low, despite substantial media coverage similar to the Iran story.

Methodology and Background

• The weekly News Interest Index compares public interest (via surveys on a menu of top news stories and open-ended mentions) with media coverage (via the PEJ's News Coverage Index).

• The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press partnered with the Project for Excellence in Journalism for this initiative.

• Data revealed distinct audience demographics for different stories, including significant gender gaps for the Iraq story and Anna Nicole Smith story.