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News Content Analysis


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    Oil Leak News Viewed as Mix of Good and Bad

    Summary of Findings Amid reports that BP has been able to at least temporarily stem the flow of oil from its ruptured underwater well, the public and the media last week again focused on the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. And, after several months of relentlessly bad news about the spreading spill, the possibility […]

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    Modest Decline in Oil Leak Interest, Sharp Decline in Coverage

    Summary of Findings As the public continues to closely track news about the environmental disaster unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico, few Americans say news organization are giving the oil leak too much coverage. The Gulf oil leak once again topped both public interest and media coverage last week, though the percent following the story […]

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    Public Sees Economic News Turning More Negative

    Summary of Findings Public perceptions of economic news have turned much more negative. Currently, 42% say they are hearing mostly bad news about the economy, the highest percentage in a year. Last month, 30% of the public said they were hearing mostly bad news about the economy. The proportion saying they are hearing a mix […]

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    Public, Media Track Oil Leak, Diverge On McChrystal

    Summary of Findings The public remained focused on the unfolding environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico last week, while the media divided its attention between two top stories: the oil leak and controversial comments by Gen. Stanley McChrystal that led to his ouster as commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. More than half of […]

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    Public Reacts Positively To Extensive Gulf Coverage

    Summary of Findings While the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico has accounted for an overwhelming proportion of recent news coverage, most Americans say the press is giving the right amount of attention to the still-unfolding disaster. The latest News Interest Index survey conducted June 17-20 among 1,009 adults by the Pew Research Center […]

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    Public Sees No Improvement in Economic News

    Summary of Findings News about the economy has been overshadowed by the Gulf oil leak in recent weeks. And in the public’s view, the economic news has not improved. Currently, 65% say they are hearing a mix of good and bad news about the economy, while 30% say they are hearing mostly bad news and […]

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    News Media Trusted For Information On Oil Leak

    Summary of Findings The public expresses far more trust in the news media for information about the Gulf oil leak than it does in either the federal government or BP. Fully 67% say they have a lot (20%) or some trust (47%) in information on the oil leak coming from news organizations. That compares with […]

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    Interest In Oil Spill Stays High As Coverage Grows

    Summary of Findings As efforts to stop a major underwater oil leak faltered and President Obama traveled to Louisiana to assess the early damage, the crisis in the Gulf of Mexico grabbed public attention and dominated media coverage last week. More than half of Americans (55%) say they followed news about the oil leak very […]