'08 Campaign Gets More Coverage Than Iraq

(AP)  Politics eclipsed the Iraq war as the top story in recent news coverage as U.S. media attention focused on the presidential race, according to a study released Monday.

Campaign coverage that had paid more attention to Democrats than Republicans in the first three months of the year became more evenly split between the parties, the report by the Project for Excellence in Journalism also found.

Researchers examined more than 18,000 stories from 13 newspapers, eight radio outlets, five online sites, three cable-news channels and both morning and evening network newscasts. The center deemed its study "the most comprehensive ongoing audit of the American press."

In April, May and June, coverage of the war and related issues made up just under 15 percent of news reports, compared to 22 percent for the first quarter.

The study attributed the change to a falloff in policy coverage across all media that occurred after May 24, when Congress approved war funding without including troop withdrawal timetables.

Reporting on events in Iraq made up 6.7 percent of the total so-called newshole, compared to 9 percent devoted to the 2008 campaign, the study found. Additional media attention was paid to the Iraq policy debate (6.6 percent) and the war's homefront effect (1.5 percent).

There continues to be "clear differences in the news judgments" of the cable channels, the center said. As in the previous quarter, Fox News Channel devoted roughly half as much coverage to the war, 8 percent, compared to CNN's 18 percent and MSNBC's 15 percent.

Calls to Fox seeking comment were not immediately returned.

In overall political coverage by the media, the study found that Democrats and Republicans received nearly the same coverage, 42 percent vs. 41 percent, respectively, compared to the 64 percent-24 percent Democratic-Republican split the previous quarter.

Barack Obama drew the most coverage among Democratic presidential contenders, taking the last-quarter lead from Hillary Rodham Clinton and with John Edwards a distant third. But mentions of Edwards rose while coverage of Obama and Clinton dropped.

Coverage of leading Republican contenders John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney was more evenly split, the study said.

Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Michael Savage made immigration the biggest topic on conservative talk radio in the second quarter with their opposition to a reform bill. Immigration came in as the fourth-biggest story for media in general, with 6 percent of coverage.

Other top-10 stories included the Virginia Tech shootings at 5 percent of coverage and, at 2 percent each, the Don Imus controversy, Iran and the fired U.S. attorneys. The Palestinian conflict received 1 percent.

"Paris Hilton is no Anna Nicole Smith," the center said, noting that her "jailhouse drama" was a largely one-week story that failed to make the list of most-covered events. That compares to the No. 8 first-quarter ranking earned by Smith's death and the dispute over her baby's custody.

The Project for Excellence in Journalism, formerly affiliated with the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, joined the Pew Research Center in Washington, D.C., last year.

[katg21]

On CNN, one said "if the liberals hadn''''t tied our hands, we could have taken Al Qaeda out"
Posted by brianbwb at 02:01 AM : Aug 21, 2007

Oh, shame on anyone for even trying to blame the Clinton administration for anything. So why didn''t Clinton take Bin Laden out when he clearly had a chance? Remind me again? He was in office for several of the attacks made by AlQaeda, why didn''t he do anything about Bin Laden? No, he preferred to seemingly keep the peace and when Bush took office let the *** hit the fan. Open your eyes my friend, there''s plenty of blame to go around. One thing we definately learned from Clinton is that not taking action is worse than taking action. At least with Bush we are on the offense.

[prinzowhales]

Here''s a link to how the CNN was the ''Air America'' of news for the War Pigs:

http://guerrillanews.com/articles/3245/Backspin_for_War_The_Convenience_of_Denial

Now that things are going very, very badly for the Regime in Iraq, they want you to focus on the gaggle of War Piglets running for the presidency and ignore the Stupid Peoples'' War-- and ignore Paul, Kucinich and Gravel, who coincidentally don''t support the S.P. War.

Time to bring the troops home. Time to throw the bums in Washington out. Time to get mad at the vile animals in Washington who have murdered, maimed and destroyed the lifes of an entire country. ''Tis time to "revenge this most foul and unnatural" assault upon the innocent of the world.

[brianbwb-2009]

Within 24 hours the Bush "BASE" blamed the attack on "Liberal''''''''s" and a vast number of American''''''''s who had absolutely NOTHING to do with the attack.
Posted by MCVet at 09:27 PM : Aug 20, 2007

What the hell are you talking about? You''''re delusional.
Posted by katg21

No he is not, I distinctly remember pundits blaming the liberals for the tragedy, even while watching the WTC burning, even before they collapsed.

On CNN, one said "if the liberals hadn''t tied our hands, we could have taken Al Qaeda out" and the comment was made before Bush''s agitprop machine named Al Qaeda as perpetrators, I thought it very strange that he knew this, and it is why I remember hearing it.

[brianbwb-2009]

''08 Campaign Gets More Coverage Than Iraq

Is this story a complaint, or a boast? If the news media covered the Iraq situation from the beginning with integrity, and without fear of or complicity with this president, we most likely wouldn''t be there now.

The important questions weren''t asked, challenges to blatantly false assumptions were not made, even the most respected journalists lost all their credibility on this, they became herald trumpets for fascists and religiously intolerant war mongers.

Ten years from now, the news medias recorded information will look strikingly like Goebbels himself directed it.

It would be interesting to hear Walter Cronkite''s take on this subject, maybe CBS would be so kind as to arrange it?



Didn''t think so.

[ringading3]

The New Orleans DA has been CONVICTED of being a RACIST in a 3.5 million dollar judgement. See the following link: http://www.fox8live.com/www/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=3528

[tylenol6]

McVet

You peice of ***.....I will say what I feel. What
makes you think you know everything and are right??
Calm down.....

[katg21]

Sieg Heil Bush! Come on Klan Man! Put on the Hood and Sheet and help me out here!! SIEG HEIL MEIN FUHRER!!
Posted by MCVet at 09:27 PM : Aug 20, 2007


Man that Nazi *** is getting old. You''re retarded.

[katg21]

Within 24 hours the Bush "BASE" blamed the attack on "Liberal''''s" and a vast number of American''''s who had absolutely NOTHING to do with the attack.
Posted by MCVet at 09:27 PM : Aug 20, 2007

What the hell are you talking about? You''re delusional.

[mcvet]

agree with you. Politics is simply a means to keep the American people divided and boy is it working.
Posted by katg21 at 05:55 PM : Aug 20, 2007

No politics has been around since day one there Swastika Breath and that IS NOT what has the people divided. What has the people divided is the LACK of Leadership and the willingness of Southern Fascist to use bigotry and division to win elections. After 9/11 as always, American''s rallied around the leader. Within 24 hours the Bush "BASE" blamed the attack on "Liberal''s" and a vast number of American''s who had absolutely NOTHING to do with the attack. THATS division!! THAT and ALL the LIES by the Little Nazi hasn''t divided this nation but UNITED it against the worst leader in our history. How could you want better than 65% of this nation together wanting Bush out of office and a change in leadership? That sounds pretty UNITED to me. Sieg Heil Bush! Come on Klan Man! Put on the Hood and Sheet and help me out here!! SIEG HEIL MEIN FUHRER!!

[mcvet]

.........I think they are afraid the
american people will vote for them...The media already has Clinton won. Clinton is a scumbag elite who is going to continue Bush''''s dictorial powers. Don''''t believe it - vote for her......
Posted by tylenol6 at 05:44 PM : Aug 20, 2007
+ report abuse

Oh JOY! Another in a long line of Fascist MORONS who want to tell me who the boogy man is! I just don''t think I''m going to listen to you losers this time... after Bush you''d better be able to come up with some POSITIVE reason why I should vote for someone else, especially a full blown Fascist. The entire Republican Party is Fascist according to a Poll of the Citizens of Germany and I will NEVER vote for a fascist. Sieg Heil Y''all.