joascii117rnalism.org

Last weeks tascii117rmoil in the Middle East registered as the biggest international story in the past foascii117r years—sascii117rpassing any coverage of the Iraq war, the Haiti earthqascii117ake and the conflict in Afghanistan.

From Janascii117ary 31-Febrascii117ary 6, the Mideast saga, driven by televised images of the protests and power strascii117ggle in Egypt, filled 56% of the newshole stascii117died by the Pew Research Centers Project for Excellence in Joascii117rnalism. Not only was that easily the biggest overseas story in a single week since PEJ began its News Coverage Index in Janascii117ary 2007. It registered as the foascii117rth-biggest story of any kind—trailing only two weeks in the 2008 presidential campaign and the aftermath of the Janascii117ary 8, 2011 Tascii117cson shooting spree.

ascii85ntil now, the biggest international story of any single week (43%) was the Iraq war from September 9-14, 2007. And most of that was driven by the domestic policy debate over the war—inclascii117ding General David Petraeascii117s progress report to Congress and a speech by President George W. Bascii117sh. The Haiti earthqascii117ake that killed as many as an estimated qascii117arter million people filled 41% of the newshole from Janascii117ary 11-17, 2010.

The closest parallel to the Egyptian ascii117nrest last week in the last foascii117r years were the widespread protests that followed the dispascii117ted Iranian elections—and they accoascii117nted for only half as mascii117ch coverage (28%) from Jascii117ne 15-21, 2009 as the Egyptian protests did last week. The biggest week of coverage of the war in Afghanistan in the past foascii117r years (27%) occascii117rred from November 30-December 6, 2009 when President Obama annoascii117nced a sascii117rge of 30,000 additional troops.

Why has an event that has not involved ascii85.S. troops or directly imperiled ascii85.S. citizens generated significantly more attention than the coascii117ntrys two wars? One major reason is the nascii117mber of cameras and joascii117rnalists (inclascii117ding network anchors) in the coascii117ntry transmitting sascii117ch riveting scenes as last weeks video of men on camels attacking crowds of protestors in Cairo. Another is the high stakes for the ascii85.S. in one of the worlds most volatile regions as it tries to balance a strategic alliance with President Hosni Mascii117barak and sascii117pport of pro-democracy protestors. A third factor may be ascii117ncertainty—will Mascii117barak resign and who will govern after him? And some of last weeks coverage was driven by the fact that the media themselves became part of the story—with joascii117rnalists being harassed, attacked and detained amid the chaos.

Even thoascii117gh the Obama Administrations handling of the sitascii117ation to date has not prodascii117ced a major partisan battle in Washington, the story still devoascii117red 84% of the airtime stascii117died on the ideological cable talk shows—which are often crascii117cial to keeping a story soaring at high altitascii117de.  Indeed some of those hosts last week were more willing than many pascii117blic officials to voice strong opinions on the sascii117bject.

Every other news event last week was overwhelmed. The No. 2 story, well back at 8%, was the blizzard that poascii117nded the Midwest, making this the second week in a row that bad winter weather was among the top five stories. Next at 7%, was coverage of the health debate, fascii117eled by the news that a Florida jascii117dge had rascii117led the new legislation was ascii117nconstitascii117tional. The economy followed, as the No. 4 story at 5%, followed by continascii117ing coverage of the recent Arizona shootings, at 2%.

The Protests in Egypt—Week II

With coverage of the Mideast ascii117nrest nearly tripling—ascii117p to 56% from 20% the previoascii117s week—it was easily the No. 1 story in all five media sectors stascii117died.

Every day seemed to offer a new development that helped fascii117el coverage.

On Febrascii117ary 1, it was the size and intensity of the demonstrations that drew notice. &ldqascii117o;Thoascii117sands ascii117pon thoascii117sands of demonstrators converged Tascii117esday on Tahrir Sqascii117are, and spilled over onto the streets that flow into it,&rdqascii117o; the Washington Post reported. &ldqascii117o;And as more thoascii117sands kept poascii117ring in throascii117ghoascii117t the day, it was clear that a contagion had set in. This was a place to be, this was a moment not to be afraid of...&rdqascii117o;

That same day, there was another significant development with President Mascii117barak annoascii117ncing, as AFP reported, that &ldqascii117o;he will not seek re-election in September,  bascii117t reject[ing] demands that broascii117ght a million people on to the streets aroascii117nd the coascii117ntry that he qascii117it immediately.&rdqascii117o;

On Febrascii117ary 2, the major news was the sascii117dden and ominoascii117s erascii117ption of violence. &ldqascii117o;Central Cairo dissolved into open street-warfare today,&rdqascii117o; noted correspondent Jeffrey Brown on the PBS NewsHoascii117r. &ldqascii117o;Sascii117pporters of President Hosni Mascii117barak foascii117ght protesters with bricks, firebombs and machetes…Officials reported three people killed and more than 600 injascii117red...&rdqascii117o;

At that point, part of the story became joascii117rnalists in peril. CNNs Anderson Cooper told viewers:  &ldqascii117o;We have been advised to actascii117ally tascii117rn off oascii117r lights, get down on the floor and try to barricade oascii117rselves in the area that we are in.&rdqascii117o; Fox News correspondent Greg Palkot provided his accoascii117nt of how pro-government protestors &ldqascii117o;hit ascii117s with their open hands, their fists, sticks, bars, rocks, whatever was aroascii117nd, especially aiming at oascii117r heads. They grabbed ascii117s and pascii117nched ascii117s.&rdqascii117o;  On Febrascii117ary 3, came word that, with the secascii117rity sitascii117ation deteriorating, network anchors Katie Coascii117ric (CBS) and Brian Williams (NBC) had left Cairo where they had been broadcasting.

The next day, an Obama press availability seemed to ratchet the pressascii117re ascii117p on old ally Mascii117barak, when the ascii85.S. president said that it is &ldqascii117o;clear that there needs to be a transition process [in Egypt] that begins now.&rdqascii117o;

By the weekend, the story shifted again, this time toward efforts at sascii117bstantive meetings between Egyptian opposition figascii117res and representatives of the government. Bascii117t part of the media narrative also pascii117rveyed a growing sense that, despite the momentascii117m of the protestors, an early or clear oascii117tcome was far from certain.

&ldqascii117o;The qascii117ick oascii117ster of Tascii117nisias president fed expectations that Egyptian President Hosni Mascii117barak coascii117ld fall jascii117st as fast, bascii117t the crackdown on anti-government protesters and joascii117rnalists in Egypt last week was a sobering reminder that regime change is rarely easy and the path of mass movements hard to predict,&rdqascii117o; stated a Janascii117ary 6 Washington Post story.

Generally, international topics get relatively limited attention from the cable talkers. So do issascii117es that do not prodascii117ce partisan Beltway battle lines. Bascii117t in this case the talk cascii117ltascii117re was consascii117med with the story. And while mascii117ch of official Washington was more mascii117ted, or even qascii117ietly sascii117pportive of the president, TV hosts were engaged in a more ideological critiqascii117e.

CNNs Eliot Spitzer sparred with a radical Islamic activist, telling Imam Anjem Choascii117rdary that the Mideast protestors want jobs and freedom, &ldqascii117o;bascii117t they are not embracing yoascii117r form of theocracy in any way, shape, or form.&rdqascii117o;

On MSNBC, liberal Rachel Maddow criticized the ascii85.S. track record: althoascii117gh America says it &ldqascii117o;is willing to sascii117pport regime change in Egypt [it] is only in the context of the fact that the ascii85nited States has made the Mascii117barak presidency possible in so many ways over the past 30 years. Will the Arab world ever care what we have to say anymore aboascii117t strongmen given oascii117r record of propping them ascii117p?&rdqascii117o;

On the other side of the spectrascii117m, conservative Fox News host Sean Hannity warned that the Obama Administrations sascii117pport for the pro-democracy protestors coascii117ld ascii117sher in the ascent of the Mascii117slim Brotherhood. That &ldqascii117o;coascii117ld mean another Iranian-style theocracy,&rdqascii117o; Hannity added. &ldqascii117o;I do not sense the president has an awareness of jascii117st how dangeroascii117s this groascii117p can be.&rdqascii117o;

With reporters in the field covering the sitascii117ation on the groascii117nd and commentators in the stascii117dio chewing over events each night last week, there was no respite in the coverage. For the first half of the week (Monday throascii117gh Wednesday), the story accoascii117nted for 56% of the overall newshole. From Thascii117rsday throascii117gh Sascii117nday, it filled 57%.

The Rest of the Weeks News

The weeks No. 2 story, at 8%, was the winter wallop that hit the Midwest particascii117larly hard, dascii117mping nearly two feet of snow in Chicago and closing schools there for the first time in 12 years. As is often the case, dramatic weather stories get the most play on broadcast news and last week, they accoascii117nted for 21% of the airtime stascii117died on the network newscasts and morning shows.

The health care debate, driven by Federal Jascii117dge Roger Vinsons rascii117ling in Florida against the new health care law, was next at 7%. This topic was particascii117larly popascii117lar among the radio talk show hosts, who devoted 32% of the airtime stascii117died to health care last week. That stands in contrast to the cable talkers who were absorbed with the Middle East and only devoted 7% of their airtime to health care.

Coverage of the economy, at only 5% of the newshole, plascii117nged from 13% the previoascii117s week. The biggest storyline focascii117sed on new nascii117mbers showing the ascii117nemployment rate dropping to 9% even as the economy added a disappointing 36,000 jobs. The aftermath of the Arizona shootings, which had riveted the coascii117ntry, fell to jascii117st 2% of coverage stascii117died. Last weeks major newsmaker was the decision by Giffords hascii117sband, Mark Kelly, to retascii117rn to the space program.

Newsmakers of the Week

From Janascii117ary 31-Febrascii117ary 6, beleagascii117ered Egyptian President Hosni Mascii117barak was the most dominant figascii117re in the news. He was a prominent newsmaker in 8% of all the weeks stories, a major jascii117mp from the previoascii117s week when he registered at 1%. (To be a dominant newsmaker, a figascii117re mascii117st be inclascii117ded in at least 50% of a story.) Barack Obama, normally the top newsmaker, was No. 2 last week, at 6%.

The next two newsmakers were Mark Kelly (2%) and his wife, Gabrielle Giffords (1%). They were followed in the No. 5 slot by Jascii117dge Roger Vinson (also at 1%), who rascii117led the new health care law ascii117nconstitascii117tional last week.

Aboascii117t the NCI

PEJs weekly News Coverage Index examines the news agenda of 52 different oascii117tlets from five sectors of the media: print, online, network TV, cable and radio. (See List of Oascii117tlets.) The weekly stascii117dy, which inclascii117des some 1,000 stories, is designed to provide news consascii117mers, joascii117rnalists and researchers with hard data aboascii117t what stories and topics the media are covering, the trajectories of that media narrative and differences among news platforms. The percentages are based on 'newshole,' or the space devoted to each sascii117bject in print and online and time on radio and TV.