2010 Midterm Coverage Hits a New High

With Election Day looming and some key races tightening, the 2010 midterms dominated the news agenda last week, registering their highest level of coverage to date.

For the week of October 18-24, the congressional election cycle accounted for 38% of the newshole, up substantially from 28% the previous week, according to the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. That also eclipsed the previous high water mark for this year's midterm coverage (30%), which occurred from September 13-19 when tea party candidate Christine O'Donnell won a stunning victory in Delaware's GOP senate primary. Both of the central media narratives of this campaign gained momentum last week: The battle for control of the senate, highlighted by a number of very close races in crucial states; and the nasty tenor of many of these campaigns, including everything from sharp-elbowed ads to personal attacks.