2009-01-07-皮尤-Mideast_Competes_with_Economy_and_Obama_For_Public_Interest_9页_51kb

The report from Pew Research Center, based on a survey from January 2-4, 2009, analyzes U.S. public interest and media coverage of major news stories during the week of December 29-January 4, 2009. Key topics included the economic crisis, the Obama transition, and the Mideast conflict, all competing for attention.

Public interest: 42% of Americans paid very close attention to the economy, making it the most closely followed story. Obama's transition received 32% interest, and the Mideast conflict got 28%. Media coverage heavily featured these, with the economy accounting for 13% of newshole, followed by Obama's transition at 8%.

Media fairness: For the Mideast conflict, about 43% and 42% of Americans rated media coverage of Israel and Hamas as fair. Regarding presidents, 62% of Republicans found coverage of George W. Bush too critical, while 69% of Democrats saw coverage of Barack Obama as fair. Partisan divides were evident, with Republicans more critical of Bush and more supportive of fair Obama coverage.

Other stories: Interest was lower for topics like Afghanistan (5% public interest) and Blagojevich (10% interest). The survey used data from the News Interest Index and media coverage analysis, showing ongoing public engagement with key national and international events.

Overall, the report highlighted declining interest compared to past conflicts like the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war but confirmed strong focus on contemporary political and economic issues, with partisan views shaping perceptions of media bias.