New Data: Weiner Scandal Covered Less Online and in Print

New Data: Weiner Scandal Covered Less Online and in Print

New Data: Weiner Scandal Covered Less Online and in Print

If you think Anthony Weiner got too much media coverage, you may just be getting your news from the wrong place, according to new data.

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

I have not written about Anthony Weiner’s sext scandal, a sad little saga that has received tons of news coverage because it is considered more interesting than actual news. 

Last week, it felt like the top story in politics. But that’s not actually true.

Weiner’s plight was more like a blip in print and online media, according to new data, while the scandal drew far more time on TV and radio. Here’s a graph from Pew that tells the story:

Overall, Weiner took up 17 percent of all news coverage, but as the graph shows, coverage diverged widely depending on the medium. (The numbers are from coverage from June 6 to 12, and “Congressional scandals” refers to Weiner.)

Newspapers only spent 7 percent of their coverage on Weiner, and he didn’t get much more attention online. Meanwhile, cable spent one out of every three minutes on the beleaguered Brooklyn representative. So if you think Weiner was the big story, you might just be getting your news from the wrong place.

The entire report is available at Pew’s Project for Excellence in Journalism.

Like this blog post? Read it on The Nation’s free iPhone App, NationNow.

Become a Sustaining Donor This September

Between the reemergence of right-wing red-baiting and Donald Trump’s use of the chilling National Security Presidential Memorandum–7 to criminalize left political organizing, we’re seeing McCarthyism reborn before our eyes.

This assault on democracy cannot be ignored or wished away. Resisting it requires bravery in the face of threats and repression, a steadfast commitment to the truth, and the unwavering belief that we can—and will—overcome this darkness.

We must have an independent media that sets the record straight, unearths corruption and abuses of power, and advances a politics of justice and dignity for all if we’re to win this fight.

That’s why I’m writing to you today. This September, The Nation needs to add 100 monthly donors to sustain our progressive journalism. Your contribution makes the next investigative report, the next truth-speaking column, and the next pathbreaking essay all possible. 

I hope you’ll support our work with a recurring donation today. If you donate $10 or more a month, we’ll send you a brand new “Hands Off the Free Press!” sticker to recognise your commitment to our cause. Please, donate today. 

Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor and Publisher, The Nation

Ad Policy
x