National news media
coverage of the Japanese disaster and the public's interest in that story were
in perfect synch, according to the Pew Research Center's News Interest Index.
Fifty-seven percent of
those polled said they followed the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear meltdown story
most closely last week, exactly the same percentage of coverage given to thestory by the major national new media.
A majority (51%) said
they were most closely tracking the damage to nuclear power plants. And some
viewers were doing more than just following the story. One in five said they
had made a donation to help the victims, more than a third saying they had done
so online.
The survey was a
telephone poll of 1,004 adults 18-plus. It was conducted March 17-20.
