Focus on Oil Spill Continues to Grow

By kevin 

Unlike many big stories where coverage and interest slowly wanes as the weeks go by, coverage of the Gulf oil spill has continued to increase in the news media with the topic accounting for “44% of the newshole from June 14-20” according to the Project for Exellence in Journalism. That’s the highest percentage since news of the leak first broke.

Accordingly, BP chief Tony Hayward was also the second biggest newsmaker last week, behind only the president. In the latest “news interest index” survey by Pew, over 50% of respondents said the amount of coverage on the Gulf has been appropriate and over 60% said the oil spill was the story they followed “most closely.”

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Coverage of the oil spill has continued to grow substantially since April, judging by this second chart the PEJ released:


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