PEJ: Oil Top Story; LeBron Trails Only Obama

BP coverage still down almost 30% over three weeks ago

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 7/13/2010 10:29:49 AM

The BP oil spill continued to top the Project for Excellence in Journalism's (PEJ) weekly news coverage index, but again at levels far below the attention paid by the news media just three weeks ago. LeBron James' exit made him the second biggest newsmaker of the week.

The BP story claimed 15% of the news hole across the 52 monitored media outlets in five categories, print, online, network TV, cable and radio, more than twice as much as the next biggest stories, the 2010 elections and the economy at 7% apiece.

Cable gave the BP story the most attention, with 25% of its news hole.

But the BP story claimed 44% of the news hole as recently as the week ending June 20. Number three was the story of Russian spies arrested in the U.S., followed by the war in Afghanistan.

LeBron James' decision (to exit Cleveland for Miami) was the number nine story with 3% of the news hole, which made him the second biggest individual newsmaker of the week behind President Obama, according to PEJ, ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Queen Elizabeth, among others.