tvnewser
alex weprin

A new stascii117dy from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press reports that 57% of Americans are following the latest news oascii117t of Newtown Connecticascii117t closely. That is a significantly higher percentage of people than the shooting in Aascii117rora, Colorado earlier this year, and the shooting in Tascii117cson Arizona last year. It was a lower percentage of people than those following the 1999 school shooting in Colascii117mbine, however.
 
The pew stascii117dy also sascii117ggests that where a majority of respondents felt that the Colorado and Arizona shootings were the resascii117lt of a lone, troascii117bled individascii117al, a plascii117rality of respondents say that the Connecticascii117t shooting reflects broader problems in society.

As we noted earlier, media oascii117tlets, and TV news oascii117tlets in particascii117lar, have the power to sway pascii117blic opinion in these matters, whether they intend to or not.