The Palin Phenomenon

Just how much press coverage is Gov Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) getting? More than anyone else. The Palin media phenomenon has been remarkable. During her first month in the public spotlight -- Aug 29 to Sept. 28 -- she was tied with Sen John McCain (R-AZ) as the No. 1 newsmaker overall. In that period, there were 500 stories in which at least 50% of the focus was on Palin. (That month-long wave of media attention was enough to make Palin the fifth biggest newsmaker for the entire 12 months between Sept. 28, 2007 and Sept. 28, 2008). Sen Barack Obama (D-IL) was next, registering as the lead newsmaker in 464 stories in the past month. President George Bush (R) (108 stories) followed. Lehman Brothers, the failed investment firm, (48 stories) and AIG, the big insurance company bailed out by the federal government (42 stories) came next. In sixth place was Joe Biden (D-Delaware), who was a lead newsmaker in 42 stories, less than one-tenth of the Palin total.