Covering what you want to know?

The Media coverage of the ongoing “scandal” in the Justice Department with AG Gonzalez has been almost non-stop over the last few weeks, with members from both sides of the aisle calling for his resignation. According to a PEW RESEARCH POLL taken during the week of March 12th and released on March 21, only 8% of the public displayed any interest in the stories. However, the media gave this particular “scandal” more coverage than Iraq, Walter Reed, and the Stock Market combined. The media presented 16% of their news coverage to the Justice Investigation, and only 11% to Iraq, 4% to Walter Reed, and 9% to the 2008 Election Campaign.

However, while the media was focused on the US attorneys the public was more interested in Iraq (23%), Walter Reed (17%), and the 2008 Campaign (9%). Basically what this poll says is that the news media is trying to create the news by playing certain parts of it more often than other news. As the old saying goes, “If you say it long enough and loud enough people will take note”, falls well short in this recent poll. Americans are not that interested in the goings on of the US Attorneys.

Pew also points out that the attorney “scandal” only places 7th in scandals past and present in Washington D.C. It placed behind such notable scandals as Congressional Check Bouncing -36% (Apr 92), Scooter Libby-24% (Nov 05), Ethnic Charges against Newt Gingrich- 23% (91), Whitewater-22% (94), etc. So, where was the news media in their presentation of what most Americans consider pertinent news? They definitely were not in contact with what America wanted? This is just another indicator as to the agenda of the MSM and their push to bring more to the story than is there, at least in the eyes of the public.