Crowded At The Top

Sometimes the most important story of the day is obvious. And sometimes, well, not so much. Witness yesterday's evening newscasts on CBS, ABC and NBC, all of which led with stories on different topics. CBS led with a series of car bombs in Baghdad; ABC with a California judge ruling that the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional; and NBC with retrieving and burying the dead from Katrina.

It's a judgment call, of course, which of these stories is the most newsworthy. Just ask the nation's major newspapers: The New York Times and Washington Post both led with the Baghdad bombings (if you don't count a local story in the Times about the mayor's race), while the Wall Street Journal stressed the Senate rejecting an independent inquiry into the government's response to Katrina. USA Today offered up a preview of President Bush's speech tonight in primetime. And The Los Angeles Times went with a story about California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

We're curious: Do you think one can extrapolate anything about these outlets by their choice of top stories? And what do you think they should have led with? Let us know in comments. (If you haven't registered yet, incidentally, please take some time to do so. It's pretty easy, and it means you can write comments and tell us what's on your mind. And you only have to do it once.)