{"id":90347,"date":"2008-09-22T00:00:01","date_gmt":"2008-09-22T05:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/2008\/09\/22\/pej-campaign-coverage-index-september-15-21-2008\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T04:12:30","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T09:12:30","slug":"pej-campaign-coverage-index-september-15-21-2008","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2008\/09\/22\/pej-campaign-coverage-index-september-15-21-2008\/","title":{"rendered":"The Latest Campaign Narrative\u2014\u2018It\u2019s The Economy, Stupid\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure><a href=\"\/node\/12901\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.pewresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/legacy\/u26\/untitled_1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"449\" height=\"335\" align=\"right\"><\/a><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For much of this election season, media coverage has been driven by a series of discrete, often unexpected events\u2014from Rev. Wright\u2019s sermons to the war in Georgia, from candidate gaffes to John McCain\u2019s selection of Sarah Palin. While the polls and election fundamentals of the race haven\u2019t changed much, the campaign itself seemed to lack a master narrative. <span><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><span><span><span><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Last week, the frightening financial meltdown on Wall Street re-oriented the campaign and re-wrote the storyline. The crisis was not only the week\u2019s top story\u2014marking only the second time this year that an event other than the campaign emerged as the No. 1 topic of the week. It also raised the possibility that a major policy issue, the economy, might emerge as the decisive factor of the campaign. Last week, certainly, the financial crisis was the top theme in the election coverage itself, accounting for 43% of the campaign newshole for Sept. 15-21, according to the Campaign Coverage Index from the Pew Research Center\u2019s Project for Excellence in Journalism. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><span><span><span><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><span><span><span><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>The week also may have marked the end of a distinct phase of the race\u2014the Palin phase. As Obama and McCain scrambled to address the economic crisis, Palin\u2014who had dominated media attention since Aug. 29\u2014receded from the headlines. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><span><span><span><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>In the first blush of horserace analysis, abetted by daily tracking polls, the media consensus was that the Obama may have benefited from the sudden change of subject. But it was far too early to predict any lasting effect. The first presidential debate takes place on Friday, and it remains to be seen whether that event will reinforce or replace the economy as the key narrative. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><span><span><span><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>One other feature of the week of Sept. 15-21 was that McCain was a bigger newsmaker than Obama, a further sign that exposure does not always translate into good news. McCain was a significant or dominant factor in 68% of the campaign stories studied for the week. This marked the first time in the general election period that the GOP nominee was the No. 1 newsmaker. But one element of that coverage was the controversy McCain ignited when he described the economic fundamentals as \u201cstrong.\u201d Obama trailed McCain at 61%. Palin fell to 26%, and that was about half the coverage she had attracted the previous two weeks. Biden, who has consistently been an afterthought in the coverage, was at 5%. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><span><span><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.pewresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/legacy\/u26\/quote_33.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"410\" height=\"125\" align=\"left\"><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Although it accounted for nearly half the campaign newshole, the focus on the economy practically came out of the blue. While the nation\u2019s fiscal health has been shaky for some time, the economy has often been relegated to secondary status as a campaign storyline. In the week of Sept. 8-14, for example, the issue accounted for only 4% of campaign coverage. And in the past two months (before last week), it exceeded 5% of the election newshole in only one week. (This is separate from coverage of the economy in general, apart from the campaign).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><span><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>The economy\u2019s sudden emergence as the dominant election issue highlights the degree to which the campaign has seemed to lurch from big event to campaign episode without much sustained narrative. In the 15 weeks since the general election campaign began, there has been a different top campaign storyline every week, with two exceptions. Obama\u2019s overseas trip dominated two straight weeks in July and now the economy has spent two weeks as top theme (June 9-15 and Sept. 15-21). The top storylines have most often involved strategy and horserace. Indeed, last week was only the fourth week since early June that a policy issue has been the top theme. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Even with the focus on the fiscal crisis, strategic themes accounted for almost one-fifth (18%) of the campaign coverage last week. The top storyline in this category was polls (5%), many of which tried to measure any shifting sentiment related to the economic news. The candidates\u2019 strategy in the key battleground states was next at 4%, followed by fundraising at 3%.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.pewresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/legacy\/u26\/media_exposure_3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"318\" height=\"315\" align=\"right\"><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>One effect of the economic crisis, quantitatively, was reduced attention to the background and impact of GOP vice presidential nominee Palin. Last week, themes involving the Alaska Governor accounted for 17% of the coverage, well down from the previous two weeks when they accounted for 50% and 45% respectively. The media still vetted her public record, and that filled 13% of the newshole. But press attention to her personal life virtually vanished, accounting for less than 1% of the coverage. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span><span><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span> <span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>These findings are part of PEJ\u2019s running content analysis of media coverage, called the News Coverage Index (NCI). During the election year, PEJ has added special coding to more closely examine coverage of the race for President and renamed the work the Campaign Coverage Index. (The full NCI data appear at the bottom of this report.) The CCI measures both the nature of the campaign narrative and the amount of coverage devoted to each candidate. The race for exposure is measured by the number of stories in which a candidate plays a significant role (as a subject of between 25% and 50% of the story) or a main newsmaker role (at least 50% of the story). The campaign storyline of the week\u2014the specific themes that make up the campaign coverage\u2014are measured as a percentage of overall coverage, or newshole.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span><span><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> Overall, the campaign filled 31% of the newshole as measured by PEJ\u2019s News Coverage Index from Sept. 15-21. That\u2019s a drop-off from 39% the previous week. But more notably, the election was the No. 2 story of the week, trailing the economic crisis, which accounted for 37% of the newshole. That\u2019s only the second time in 2008 that a story other than the campaign topped the weekly index, the first being the Russia-Georgia conflict (at 26%) from Aug. 11-17. Even so, the campaign was still the No. 1 story in the two media sectors that consistently devote the most time to it\u2014cable news (61% of the airtime studied) and radio (at 44%). <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> For much of last week, the Obama and McCain campaigns were on high alert as they tried to quickly pivot to address the news from the financial markets\u2014even as many observers noted that their options and power were limited. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>\u201cIn truth, neither candidate is in a position to do anything about the current crisis,\u201d noted CNN\u2019s Candy Crowley on Anderson Cooper\u2019s Sept. 18 program. \u201cThe key is to sound and seem like a guy who can take control and fix a problem like this while suggesting the other guy is totally incapable.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><span><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> The next day, on ABC\u2019s Good Morning America, George Stephanopoulos suggested that the depth and breadth of the problem would limit each man\u2019s political maneuverability. Stating that McCain had gotten off to a \u201crough start\u201d with his statement about good economic fundamentals, Stephanopoulos added that, \u201cNow, I think they\u2019re both getting scared straight by the magnitude of this financial crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><a href=\"\/node\/12803\"><\/a><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><figure><a href=\"\/node\/12903\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.pewresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/legacy\/u26\/overtime_15.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"473\" height=\"381\" align=\"left\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span><span><span><span>Much of the media commentary concluded that the events of the past week would have a major, if still incalculable, impact on the course of the campaign.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> On CNN, correspondent John King said, \u201cThis has changed the campaign and it\u2019s hit the pause button on everybody\u2019s strategy.\u201d Stephanopoulos echoed that sentiment by declaring that the meltdown \u201cchanges just about everything.\u201d <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><span><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><span><span>Not surprisingly, there was also an initial effort by the press to read the re-arranged political tea leaves. A series of new polls seemed to reflect a drop in McCain\u2019s post-convention bounce and some marginal gains for Obama. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> \u201cObama rebounds in polls as economic crisis bites\u201d was the headline on an AFP story posted Sept. 18 on Yahoo News! The story, citing two new national polls with Obama narrowly in the lead, said the finding in one survey \u201csuggested that economic arguments may be swaying support towards Obama.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><span><span>The same story also concluded that after the Republican ticket got a boost from the Palin selection, \u201crecent opinion snapshots polls appear to show Palin&#8217;s injection of momentum for McCain diminishing.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> That did not stop the press from continuing to publish the results of reporting that had been in the field on Palin. On Sept. 17, for example, the NBC newscast aired a fact-check that offered some contradictory evidence to question Palin\u2019s statements that Alaska provides about 20% of the U.S. supply of gas and oil and that she said \u201cthanks but no thanks\u201d to the infamous Bridge To Nowhere. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> \u201cThe McCain campaign has carefully controlled access to Palin\u201d noted correspondent Savannah Guthrie, during that report. But that certainly hadn\u2019t kept the Alaska Governor out of the headlines, at least until an economic crisis of massive dimensions pushed almost every other campaign story to the sidelines. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <strong>And now, in the rest of the week\u2019s news:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <span><span><span><span>The financial crisis and Wall Street upheaval accounted for 37% of the newshole for Sept. 15-21, as measured by PEJ\u2019s News Coverage Index. That marked the most media attention to a non-campaign story since the California wildfires accounted for 38% of the newshole from Oct. 21-26, 2007. The economy was the No. 1 story in newspapers (48%), online (33%) and in the network news (41%), though on cable and radio the campaign still won the day.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> The No. 3 story, after the campaign, was the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, which accounted for 7% of the newshole. The Southern California train crash that took 25 lives was next at 2%. And the Sept. 20 attack on a Marriott Hotel in Islamabad that killed more than 50 people made Pakistan the No. 5 story, at 1% of the newshole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <em>Mark Jurkowitz of PEJ<\/em> <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <strong>Campaign Storylines of the Week<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n<p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;text-align: right\" class=\"MsoNormal wp-block-paragraph\" align=\"left\"> \u00a0 <\/p>\n\n<table border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"608\" class=\"MsoNormalTable\" style=\"width: 456pt;border-collapse: collapse\">\n<tbody>\n<tr style=\"height: 13.5pt\">\n<td width=\"152\" style=\"border: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0in 5.4pt;width: 114pt;height: 13.5pt;background-color: transparent\">\n<p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\" class=\"MsoNormal\"> \u00a0 <\/p>\n<p> <\/p><\/td>\n<td width=\"152\" style=\"border-style: solid solid solid none;border-color: windowtext windowtext windowtext #ece9d8;border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt medium;padding: 0in 5.4pt;width: 114pt;height: 13.5pt;background-color: transparent\">\n<p align=\"center\"> <span style=\"font-family: Arial\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;font-family: Arial\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\">Total Percent of Campaign Newshole <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 13.5pt\">\n<td width=\"152\" style=\"border-style: none solid solid;border-color: #ece9d8 windowtext windowtext;border-width: medium 1pt 1pt;padding: 0in;width: 114pt;height: 13.5pt;background-color: transparent\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;font-family: Arial\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\">Economy as an Issue<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/td>\n<td width=\"152\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;font-family: Arial\">43.3%<span style=\"font-family: Arial\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: small\"><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman\"><span style=\"font-size: small\"><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman\"> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 13.5pt\">\n<td width=\"152\" style=\"border-style: none solid solid;border-color: #ece9d8 windowtext windowtext;border-width: medium 1pt 1pt;padding: 0in;width: 114pt;height: 13.5pt;background-color: transparent\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;font-family: Arial\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\">Palin&#8217;s Public Record<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/td>\n<td width=\"152\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;font-family: Arial\"> <\/span>12.7 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 13.5pt\">\n<td width=\"152\" style=\"border-style: none solid solid;border-color: #ece9d8 windowtext windowtext;border-width: medium 1pt 1pt;padding: 0in;width: 114pt;height: 13.5pt;background-color: transparent\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;font-family: Arial\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\">McCain v. Obama Polls<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/td>\n<td width=\"152\" align=\"center\"> 5.3 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 13.5pt\">\n<td width=\"152\" style=\"border-style: none solid solid;border-color: #ece9d8 windowtext windowtext;border-width: medium 1pt 1pt;padding: 0in;width: 114pt;height: 13.5pt;background-color: transparent\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;font-family: Arial\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\">Abortion as an Issue<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/td>\n<td width=\"152\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;font-family: Arial\"> <\/span>3.9 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 13.5pt\">\n<td width=\"152\" style=\"border-style: none solid solid;border-color: #ece9d8 windowtext windowtext;border-width: medium 1pt 1pt;padding: 0in;width: 114pt;height: 13.5pt;background-color: transparent\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;font-family: Arial\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\">Swing States: Campiagns Strategize<br> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<td width=\"152\" align=\"center\"> 3.8 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 13.5pt\">\n<td width=\"152\" style=\"border-style: none solid solid;border-color: #ece9d8 windowtext windowtext;border-width: medium 1pt 1pt;padding: 0in;width: 114pt;height: 13.5pt;background-color: transparent\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;font-family: Arial\">Campaign Fundraising<\/span><\/span> <\/td>\n<td width=\"152\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;font-family: Arial\"> <\/span>2.7 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 13.5pt\">\n<td colspan=\"2\" style=\"border-style: none solid solid;border-color: #ece9d8 windowtext windowtext;border-width: medium 1pt 1pt;padding: 0in;height: 13.5pt;background-color: transparent\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;font-family: Arial\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana\">Total Number of Campaign Stories = 347 <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> \u00a0 <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <strong>Top Overall Stories of the Week<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n<table border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"367\" class=\"MsoNormalTable\" style=\"border: medium none;width: 275.4pt;border-collapse: collapse\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"122\" valign=\"top\" style=\"border: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0in;width: 91.5pt;background-color: transparent\">\n<p align=\"center\"> Rank <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"122\" valign=\"top\" style=\"border-style: solid solid solid none;border-color: windowtext windowtext windowtext #ece9d8;border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt medium;padding: 0in;width: 91.5pt;background-color: transparent\">\n<p align=\"center\"> Story <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"122\" valign=\"top\" style=\"border-style: solid solid solid none;border-color: windowtext windowtext windowtext #ece9d8;border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt medium;padding: 0in;width: 91.5pt;background-color: transparent\">\n<p align=\"center\"> Percent of Newshole <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"122\" valign=\"top\" style=\"border-style: none solid solid;border-color: #ece9d8 windowtext windowtext;border-width: medium 1pt 1pt;padding: 0in 5.4pt;width: 91.8pt;background-color: transparent\">\n<p align=\"center\"> 1 <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"122\" valign=\"top\">\n<p> Market Upheaval\/ Private Sector Bailout <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"122\" valign=\"top\">\n<p align=\"center\"> 37% <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"122\" valign=\"top\" style=\"border-style: none solid solid;border-color: #ece9d8 windowtext windowtext;border-width: medium 1pt 1pt;padding: 0in 5.4pt;width: 91.8pt;background-color: transparent\">\n<p align=\"center\"> 2 <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"122\" valign=\"top\">\n<p> 2008 Campaign <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"122\" align=\"center\" valign=\"top\">31<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"122\" valign=\"top\" style=\"border-style: none solid solid;border-color: #ece9d8 windowtext windowtext;border-width: medium 1pt 1pt;padding: 0in 5.4pt;width: 91.8pt;background-color: transparent\">\n<p align=\"center\"> 3 <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"122\" valign=\"top\">\n<p> Hurricane Ike <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"122\" align=\"center\" valign=\"top\">7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"122\" valign=\"top\" style=\"border-style: none solid solid;border-color: #ece9d8 windowtext windowtext;border-width: medium 1pt 1pt;padding: 0in 5.4pt;width: 91.8pt;background-color: transparent\">\n<p align=\"center\"> 4 <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"122\" valign=\"top\">\n<p> L.A. Train Crash <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"122\" align=\"center\" valign=\"top\">2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"122\" valign=\"top\" style=\"border-style: none solid solid;border-color: #ece9d8 windowtext windowtext;border-width: medium 1pt 1pt;padding: 0in 5.4pt;width: 91.8pt;background-color: transparent\">\n<p align=\"center\"> 5 <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"122\" valign=\"top\">\n<p> Pakistan <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"122\" align=\"center\" valign=\"top\">1 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"122\" valign=\"top\" style=\"border-style: none solid solid;border-color: #ece9d8 windowtext windowtext;border-width: medium 1pt 1pt;padding: 0in 5.4pt;width: 91.8pt;background-color: transparent\">\n<p align=\"center\"> 6 <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"122\" valign=\"top\">\n<p> Events in Iraq <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"122\" align=\"center\" valign=\"top\">1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"122\" valign=\"top\" style=\"border-style: none solid solid;border-color: #ece9d8 windowtext windowtext;border-width: medium 1pt 1pt;padding: 0in 5.4pt;width: 91.8pt;background-color: transparent\">\n<p align=\"center\"> 7 <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"122\" valign=\"top\">\n<p> U.S. Embassy Attacked in Yemen <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"122\" align=\"center\" valign=\"top\">1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"122\" valign=\"top\" style=\"border-style: none solid solid;border-color: #ece9d8 windowtext windowtext;border-width: medium 1pt 1pt;padding: 0in 5.4pt;width: 91.8pt;background-color: transparent\">\n<p align=\"center\"> 8 <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"122\" valign=\"top\">\n<p> U.S. Economy <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"122\" align=\"center\" valign=\"top\">1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"122\" valign=\"top\" style=\"border-style: none solid solid;border-color: #ece9d8 windowtext windowtext;border-width: medium 1pt 1pt;padding: 0in 5.4pt;width: 91.8pt;background-color: transparent\">\n<p align=\"center\"> 9 <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"122\" valign=\"top\">\n<p> China <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"122\" align=\"center\" valign=\"top\">1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"122\" valign=\"top\" style=\"border-style: none solid solid;border-color: #ece9d8 windowtext windowtext;border-width: medium 1pt 1pt;padding: 0in 5.4pt;width: 91.8pt;background-color: transparent\">\n<p align=\"center\"> 10 <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"122\" valign=\"top\">\n<p> Energy Debate <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"122\" align=\"center\" valign=\"top\">1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <a href=\"\/node\/12902\">Click here<\/a> to see the top ten stories for each media sector.<a href=\"\/9611\"> <\/a> <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <a href=\"\/node\/9324\">Click here<\/a> to see the methodology for the Campaign Coverage Index <\/p>\n\n<h5 id=\"8d656be32a347f39e0749db6e4b818db\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"> <\/h5>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Even the Palin phenomenon took a back seat last week as a profound crisis in the financial markets dominated the headlines. 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