There was no doubt about it – the debate over health care was the number one media story for the week of 7/20-27/09, according to the Project for Excellence in Journalism.
The economy and the arrest of Henry Louis Gates inconclusively duked it out for second place, each with 12%, which combined was not enough to equal health’s 25% of the coverage hole.
The biggest disagreement was between newspaper and cable. The inkers said it was economy 20%, Gate 3%, while the cablers went Gates 19%, economy 6%.
| Story | Overall | Newspaper | Online | NetTV | CATV | Radio |
| Health care debate | 25% | 18% | 16% | 24% | 38% | 34% |
| Economic crisis | 12% | 20% | 11% | 14% | 6% | 11% |
| Gates arrest | 12% | 3% | 10% | 15% | 19% | 12% |
| Afghanistan | 4% | 4% | 5% | 7% | 4% | 2% |
| 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 | 4% | 3% | 8% | 3% | x | 3% |
| Obama administration | 3% | 2% | 3% | 1% | 5% | 2% |
| Education system | 2% | 3% | 4% | 3% | x | x |
| Clinton Asia trip | 2% | x | 3% | x | x | 2% |
| Military spending cuts | 1% | x | 3% | x | x | x |
| Michael Jackson dies | 1% | x | x | 3% | 2% | x |
| George Tiller murder | x | 4% | x | x | x | x |
| NJ corruption sweep | x | 2% | x | x | x | x |
| US auto industry | x | 2% | x | x | x | x |
| Honduras coup | x | x | 2% | x | 1% | x |
| Walter Cronkite dies | x | x | x | 3% | x | x |
| Swine flu | x | x | x | 2% | x | 1% |
| Domestic terrorism | x | x | x | x | 3% | x |
| CIA leak/Plame case | x | x | x | x | 2% | x |
| John Ensign affair | x | x | x | x | 2% | x |
| Minimum wage increase | x | x | x | x | x | 1% |
| Events in Iraq | x | x | x | x | x | 1% |
Source: Project for Excellence in Journalism
