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Obama's First 100 Days: How the President Fared In the Press vs. Clinton and Bush

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Journalism.org - By Tom Rosenstiel, Amy Mitchell, Mark Jurkowitz - Apr. 28 (News Analysis) - As he marks his 100th day in office, President Barack Obama has enjoyed substantially more positive media coverage than either Bill Clinton or George Bush during their first months in the White House, according to a new study of press coverage. Overall, roughly four out of ten stories, editorials and op ed columns about Obama have been clearly positive in tone, compared with 22% for Bush and 27% for Clinton in the same mix of seven national media outlets during the same first two months in office, according to a study by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism. The study found positive stories about Obama have outweighed negative by two-to-one (42% vs. 20%) while 38% of stories have been neutral or mixed. When a broader universe of media—one that includes 49 outlets and reflects the more modern media culture of 2009, is examined, the numbers for Obama’s coverage are similar, though somewhat less positive and somewhat more negative. In this expanded universe of media—which includes news websites, additional regional and local newspapers, plus cable news, network morning news, and National Public Radio, 37% of Obama’s coverage has been positive, 40% neutral and 23% negative. Several factors may be at play in the favorable tone Obama has received during these first months. One element is the pace and sweep of Obama’s activities. Bush and Clinton both started their presidencies pursuing policy agendas much more of their own making than Obama has. But the data suggest the current president has managed the media narrative anyway by responding to the economic crisis with so many new proposals and doing so many events that it has been hard for both his critics and the media to keep up.

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Bloggers Ponder the Decline of Religion, Economic Prosperity and Newspapers

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Journalism.org - By Tom Rosenstiel - Mar. 20 (News Analysis) - The online conversation last week was strikingly different than the mainstream news agenda. While the traditional press focused on economic villains-such as AIG and Bernard Madoff-bloggers largely eschewed partisan squabbling and parsing of details for a more abstract and far-reaching discussion. As the economy struggled, a major newspaper shut down and a survey highlighted the diminishing appeal of organized religion, bloggers and social media pondered the dramatic social changes that might be taking place and what the implications could be. The top subject was the decline in people claiming an affiliation with organized religion, as documented in a new study. This storyline made up 30% of the most linked to stories by blogs and social media sites for the week of March 9-13 according to the New Media Index from the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. The second largest story, at 24% of the links, involved the continuing problems in the U.S. economy. While some of the attention was focused on government actions, many bloggers focused on a prediction by New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman that the current crisis would change the growth model that has been the basis of the U.S. economy for the past 50 years.

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The State of the News Media 2009

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Journalism.org - By Tom Rosenstiel - Mar. 16 (Special Report) - Two developments converged in the last year to shorten the time that journalism has left to reinvent its business model and secure its financial future, according to a new comprehensive study on the State of the American News Media. First, the audience migration to the web accelerated substantially in 2008, and even though most of that growth was at traditional news destinations, the financial impact of that was a negative one, according to the report by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism. Traffic to the 50 news websites, for instance, jumped 24%, triple the pace of growth of the year before, but online ad revenue flattened, and in newspapers it declined. Second, the recession hammered advertising and diverted attention away from innovating new revenue sources. The news industry was already in a race to find new ways to underwrite the gathering of news online, using the declining revenue of the old platforms to do so. The result of the changes of 2008, according to the report’s overview, is an industry diminished, with less time and resources to finance the transition. On the other hand, the notion that traditional journalism is on the brink of extinction is overstated.

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The Color of News: How Different Media Have Covered the General Election

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Journalism.org - Oct. 29 (Special Report) - Newspapers, in turn, devoted less space to policy stories than any other media sector during these six weeks of the general election period. Policy coverage made up 13% of newspaper stories compared to 20% of all campaign coverage in all outlets.

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Amid Charges of Bias, the Media Swarm on Obama Overseas

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Journalism.org - By Mark Jurkowitz - Jul. 29 (News Analysis) - arack Obama's July 24 speech to a crowd of about 200,000 in Berlin provided a startling campaign visual to punctuate a week of remarkable media attention. A story about the event on CNN.com, complete with video, quoted the network's European political editor saying Obama "is one of those politicians who reaches parts other politicians don't reach." But not all of the coverage last week was flattering. By the time Obama concluded a week-long overseas tour intended to burnish his geopolitical credentials, some press post-mortems questioned whether adulation abroad would translate into votes at home and whether the candidate had the specifics to back up his popularity. And in a reprise of a primary-season burst of introspection, the press devoted significant attention to whether it was tilting toward the Democrat. Whatever the tone of the coverage, Obama's visit to the Middle East and Europe was an extraordinary media event. Coverage of the trip consumed 51% of the campaign newshole for the week of July 21-27, according to the Project for Excellence in Journalism's Campaign Coverage Index. That was enough to make it the second-biggest campaign story line since PEJ began tracking them in mid-March. (Only coverage of the April 22 Pennsylvania primary, during the week of April 21-27, generated more attention.) The trip also helped Obama, for the seventh consecutive week, dominate John McCain in the contest for media exposure. The Democrat was a significant or dominant factor in 81% of the campaign stories studied compared with 53% for McCain. Interestingly, even with all the attention to Obama's trip, those numbers dovetail closely with the weekly coverage averages since the general election campaign began in June. In that period, Obama has factored in 79% of the coverage with McCain at 52%. One reason Obama's advantage might not have been greater last week was that McCain managed to inject himself into the media narrative by challenging his opponent over Iraq policy and with some counter-programming--including a visit to a German restaurant in Columbus Ohio while Obama was in Germany. But if you combine the top three story lines of the week--Obama's trip (51% of the newshole), the debate over Iraq that was largely triggered by Obama's visit there (7%), and press examination of its treatment of Obama (7%)--those three threads account for two-thirds of the week's campaign coverage.

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Gaffes Drove the Campaign Narrative Last Week

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Journalism.org - By Paul Hitlin, Mahvish Shahid Khan, Tom Rosenstiel - Jul. 15 (News Analysis) - Printer-Friendly PDF Version E-mail If the Rev. Jesse Jackson feared his own historic runs at the presidency in 1984 and 1988 were being ignored this year in coverage of the presumed Democratic nominee Barack Obama, he need worry no longer. But be careful what you wish for. Jackson's derogatory remarks about Obama, made when he thought he was off camera and off mike while preparing to appear on a Fox News program, was the biggest campaign storyline in the media last week, according to the Project for Excellence in Journalism's Campaign Coverage Index. And as the media portrayed the incident, in which Jackson sharply criticized Obama for suggesting that black men need to take more responsibility for their unwed children, it may well have proven to be a boon to Obama, not to Jackson. It was not the only statement by a non-candidate to steer the campaign narrative last week. The comments by John McCain economic advisor, former Senator Phil Gramm, that the country's economic problems are mostly a "mental recession" in the minds of whiny consumers, was the second-biggest storyline last week. Indeed, together the two gaffes comprised nearly a quarter of the campaign coverage studied (23%). One other trend to emerge last week was that Democrat Obama again received more coverage than Republican McCain. Obama was at least a significant presence in fully 77% of the campaign stories studied, compared with 48% for McCain. Obama has led in coverage in all five weeks since the race narrowed to two presumptive nominees. A week earlier, that gap narrowed to 11 points and offered the prospect that the coverage might equalize, but last week suggested that might not be the case. If this trend continues, it hints that the media narrative could make this race largely a referendum about Obama and whether the country is willing to make him the next President, with John McCain playing the role of the alternative.

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Democrats and Unity Drive the Campaign Narrative

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Journalism.org - Jul. 01 (Special Report) - Nearly one month after Barack Obama effectively claimed the Democratic nomination, the fallout from the party's long, and at times bitter, primary fight dominated last week's campaign narrative.

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Barack Makes More News Than McCain, But It's Not All Good

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Journalism.org - By Mark Jurkowitz - Jun. 18 (News Analysis) - In the first official week of the general election, the differences between Barack Obama and John McCain on issues ranging from the economy to Iraq constituted the media's main campaign narrative. Together, the debates over several key issues accounted for almost one-third--29%--of the campaign newshole, as measured by PEJ's Campaign Coverage Index for June 9-15. But that didn't mean there wasn't a fair amount of attention paid to some controversies and gaffes. Led by coverage of the resignation of Obama's vice-presidential search leader James Johnson, a handful of controversies finished second behind the issues (at 18%) as a narrative theme last week. Trailing in third place (at 13%) was coverage of the candidates' efforts to heal the wounds left by the primary battles--particularly the bruising Democratic contest. In a relatively light week of campaign coverage, Obama topped McCain in the race for exposure. The Democrat appeared as a significant or dominant newsmaker in 77% of the week's campaign stories compared with 55% for the GOP candidate. The week also represented the moment that Hillary Clinton appeared to finally recede from center stage. A week removed from her withdrawal speech, Clinton was a significant or dominant factor in only 10% of the stories. Those numbers reflect the media's full pivot away from the long Democratic primary battle to a one-on-one general election competition. A week earlier, Clinton registered in 60% of the coverage while McCain was at 21%. One other change was the focus on potential First Ladies. In that previous report, Michelle Obama registered at only 1%; last week, she accounted for 6%.

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Clinton Drives the Media Narrative the Week Obama Wins

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Journalism.org - Jun. 16 (News Analysis) - On the same night that Barack Obama made history by clinching his party's nomination and John McCain kicked off the general election with a prime-time policy address, it was the vanquished Democrat who may have posed the most relevant question.

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While Democrats Battle on, McCain Makes News

Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Journalism.org - May. 29 (Special Report) - What did change noticeably in the media's campaign narrative last week was the role of presumptive GOP nominee John McCain. After largely being treated as a bystander to the Democrats' battle for weeks, he emerged...as a significant or dominant newsmaker in 41% of last week's campaign stories [v.s.] Obama...(62%) and Clinton...(43%)... As recently as...May 5-11, McCain was registering...at a mere 12%.

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Journalism, Satire or Just Laughs? "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" Examined

Sat, 10 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Journalism.org - May. 10 (Special Report) - Stewart has always insisted that his show isn't journalism...But it's also true that [in choosing] satire over playing just for laughs...[it]performs a function that is close to journalistic in nature--getting people to think critically about the public square...a variation of the tradition of Russell Baker, Art Hoppe, Art Buchwald, H.L. Mencken and other satirists who once graced the pages of American newspapers.

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The State of the News Media 2008: Newspaper Content Analysis

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Journalism.org - Mar. 17 (Special Report) - In 2007, despite...a rush of resources away from print...newspapers stood out in 2007 for unique coverage. Their particular strength...may be less covering breaking news than tracking stories that percolated, ebbed and flowed over the course of the year. The nation's newspapers gave front-page coverage to issues and events often not found in other news genres. The state of the U.S. economy, the continuing debate over health care policies and foreign news beyond the war in Iraq, among others, stood out on newspaper front-pages.

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Journalists in Iraq -- A Survey of Reporters on the Front Lines

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 13:32:13 -0800

Journalism.org - By Project for Excellence in Journalism - Nov. 28 (Poll) - "they (journalist) do not believe the coverage of Iraq over time has been too negative. If anything, many believe the situation over the course of the war has been worse than the American public has perceived"

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The Invisible Primary--Invisible No Longer

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 10:59:38 -0700

Journalism.org - Oct. 29 (News Analysis) - In the early months of the 2008 presidential campaign, the media had already winnowed the race to mostly five candidates and offered Americans relatively little information about their records or what they would do if elected, according to a comprehensive new study of the election coverage across the media. The press also gave some candidates measurably more favorable coverage than others. Democrat Barack Obama, the junior Senator from Illinois, enjoyed by far the most positive treatment of the major candidates during the first five months of the year--followed closely by Fred Thompson, the actor who at the time was only considering running. Arizona Senator John McCain received the most negative coverage--much worse than his main GOP rivals.

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The Latest News Headlines--Your Vote Counts

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 10:05:31 -0700

Journalism.org - Sep. 12 (Special Report) - In short, the user-news agenda, at least in this one-week snapshot, was more diverse, yet also more fragmented and transitory than that of the mainstream news media. This does not mean necessarily that users disapprove or reject the mainstream news agenda. These user sites may be supplemental for audiences. They may gravitate to them in addition to, rather than instead of, traditional venues. But the agenda they set is nonetheless quite different. This initial report is based on a limited sample--a one week snapshot--to get a first sense of differences and similarities in user-driven and mainstream media. PEJ intends in a future study to delve further into this area of research.

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War Debate Returns with a Vengeance

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 11:55:48 -0700

Journalism.org - By Mark Jurkowitz - Jul. 17 (News Analysis) - Early last week, as the nation awaited a progress report on Iraq, much of the media portrayed President Bush as a besieged leader clinging to an endangered strategy. ABC anchor Charles Gibson--noting that one official described the White House in "panic mode"--began his July 9 newscast by describing mounting challenges to Bush's war policy. "A growing number of Republicans now say they want a new strategy for the war," Gibson reported. "In other words, the number of problems for the President is rising while his support is falling."

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Did Talk Hosts Help Derail the Immigration Bill?

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 09:58:25 -0700

Journalism.org - By Mark Jurkowitz, Project for Excellence in Journalism - Jun. 15 (News Analysis) - On June 8--the day after the immigration bill suffered a major defeat when its backers failed to get a Senate vote--there was barely disguised gloating on the part of some talk hosts. CNN's Lou Dobbs, a staunch opponent of the bill who has spent more time on immigration than any other host, opened his program by announcing "a crushing defeat for the pro-illegal alien lobby in its efforts to ram amnesty through the U.S. Senate in defiance of the will of the American people."

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GOP Worries About Iraq Fuel War Policy Coverage

Tue, 15 May 2007 12:54:39 -0700

Journalism.org - By Tom Rosenstiel, Paul Hitlin, Mark Jurkowitz - May. 15 (News Analysis) - On May 10, the lead story in the Washington Post reported on "a remarkably blunt White House meeting" in which Republican moderates warned President Bush that "his pursuit of the war in Iraq is risking the future of the Republican Party." The same message came through that day in the New York Times' headline: "At White House, President is Told that He Faces Defections on War." As it has on a number of weeks this year, the political debate over U.S. policy in Iraq generated more coverage than any other story last week, filling 14% of the overall newshole, according to PEJ's News Coverage Index from May 6-May 11. This time, however, the story was not the predictable and continuing squabbling of Democrats and Republicans over Congressional maneuvering.

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The Scent of Scandal Makes Gonzales the Big Story

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 06:17:48 -0700

Journalism.org - By Mark Jurkowitz - Mar. 27 (News Analysis) - The people paying the most attention are journalists, according to PEJ's News Coverage Index. Filling 18% of the overall newshole, it was the second-biggest story of the year. Yet, as NPR noted, the story has thus far exposed something of a disconnect between news producer and news consumer. While journalists appear fascinated by this battle between Congress and the White House, the public has yet to evince great enthusiasm for it. According to a News Interest Index survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, only 8% of the public said the U.S. attorneys story was the one they followed most closely in the week of March 12.

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War and Politics Lead Talk Media, Those and Pet Topics

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 09:41:58 -0800

Journalism.org - By Mark Jurkowitz - Feb. 09 (News Analysis) - The political skirmishing over U.S. strategy in Iraq and the embryonic 2008 campaigns of Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton were what was buzzing on cable and talk radio airwaves last week, according to PEJ's Talk Show Index. Together, the Iraq debate (31%) and White House race (17%) combined to fill about half the time in our talk show universe January 28 to February 2.

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Politics, War, and a Crucial Speech Top the News Index

Tue, 30 Jan 2007 06:09:22 -0800

Journalism.org - By Mark Jurkowitz - Jan. 30 (News Analysis) - The debate over U.S. strategy in Iraq, the speech defending that strategy, and the emerging campaign to succeed that speech's author--finished in a virtual tie for the top story in the news last week according to PEJ's News Coverage Index.

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The Debate over Iraq Policy Dominates the News

Tue, 16 Jan 2007 18:30:32 -0800

Journalism.org - By Mark Jurkowitz - Jan. 16 (News Analysis) - The debate over what to do next in Iraq thoroughly dominated the news landscape last week, according to the PEJ News Coverage Index. In the second week of the new year (January 7-12) Iraq policy filled 34% of the overall newshole and was the top story in all five media sectors - newspapers, online, network TV, cable and radio. That was followed by events in Congress and Somalia, and two other Iraq-related stories, but none of these even reached double digits in the main Index.

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