The health care issue figured to be the #1 news topic for the week before Joe Wilson’s joint session outburst. Since bad behavior makes for good copy, that incident pretty much assured that health was going to blow away all comers.
According to the Project for Excellence in Journalism report for 9/7-13/09, health took up almost a third of the newshole. No other story made it into double digits.
| Story | Overall | Newspaper | Online | NetTV | CATV | Radio |
| Health care | 32% | 20% | 25% | 35% | 46% | 34% |
| Economic crisis | 9% | 19% | 10% | 4% | 2% | 7% |
| Afghanistan | 9% | 8% | 12% | 7% | 9% | 3% |
| Domestic terror | 5% | x | 8% | x | 7% | 5% |
| Obama education speech | 4% | x | 4% | 5% | 6% | 6% |
| Swine flu | 2% | x | 3% | 7% | x | 1% |
| 9/11 anniversary | 2% | 4% | x | 4% | x | 1% |
| Education system | 2% | 3% | 4% | x | x | x |
| Obama administration | 2% | x | x | x | 1% | 8% |
| Cyberspace issues | 1% | 4% | 2% | x | x | x |
| Events in Iraq | x | 4% | x | x | x | x |
| War on terror | x | 3% | x | x | x | x |
| Iran | x | 2% | x | x | 1% | x |
| G-20 in Pittsburgh | x | 1% | x | x | x | x |
| Global warming | x | x | 3% | x | x | x |
| SCOTUS actions | x | x | 2% | 3% | x | x |
| Melanie Oudin – US Open | x | x | x | 2% | x | x |
| Missing persons | x | x | x | 2% | x | x |
| Madoff banking scam | x | x | x | 2% | x | x |
| Van Jones controversy | x | x | x | x | 3% | 3% |
| Taxes | x | x | x | x | 1% | x |
| John Edwards affair | x | x | x | x | 1% | x |
| Michael Jackson dies | x | x | x | x | x | 1% |
Source: Project for Excellence in Journalism
