Top 15 News Stories of 2010

Influence Communication tracks millions of news stories and ranks them in terms of how often they are reported on.

For 2010:

15 - Cholera outbreak in Haiti
14 - Paistani floods
13 - Iranian protests
12 - Super Bowl XLIV
11 - Iraq War
10 - Commonwealth Games
9 - Olympic Games
8 - Iranian Nuclear Program
7 - Haitian earthquake
6 - Debt in Europe
5 - Climate Change
4 - World Cup
3 - Afghani war
2 - Horizon oil spill
1 - US Midterm election

this and other lists, plus the methodology available in pdf form:

http://www.influencecommunication.ca/pdf/bilan-intl-2010.pdf

AJE's take:

YouTube video

US Midterms? Number 1?.... Yeah.... Maybe for the yanks.

Sporting events should not be on lists of top news stories.

And why aren't the Chilean miners on that list?

Originally posted by §P0oONY
US Midterms? Number 1?.... Yeah.... Maybe for the yanks.

its a Canadian site that monitors international publications

it was the most talked about story of 2010

though, ya, it might be different in just the UK or whatever, but America is big news around the world

Originally posted by Quiero Mota
Sporting events should not be on lists of top news stories.

maybe, but it is interesting that the World Cup got more media coverage than either of the major problems in Haiti or whatever

there is a political/media side to all stories too. The point of this list isn't to say what is or isn't important, but more to show what people were reading about, and what image of the world, was presented by the media in 2010. In that way, the prominance of 3 sporting events, among a lot of really negative news events, does show a, idk, sporting side to human culture?

Competition draws us as much as death and war, and maybe that says something powerful about human nature? are people looking from an escape from the negative? is there a connection between our desire for sport and violence? or I'm looking too far into it, lol!

Originally posted by Quiero Mota
And why aren't the Chilean miners on that list?

number 16, actually

just a bit on the methods:

Research methodology

The Media Prominence Score is a quantitative indicator that measures the space devoted to an individual or news item in a given context. It does not take into account the value of the arguments presented in the media or the tone of the coverage. In order to establish media prominence, Influence Communication collates and measures, using electronic and other means, references to particular topic in all daily and weekly newspapers, radio and television information content and newscasts.

Influence Communication does not take into account magazines, radio music shows, advertising, soap operas, game shows, classified listings, obituaries or Internet content. A mathematical value is assigned to each occurrence according to readership, circulation and ratings. The importance of each news item (article, report, mention, etc.) is weighted according to its size (length or duration), location in the medium (for example: page A1 or D8, beginning or end of a news broadcast) and also its format or treatment (full report, partial report, photo, brief mention, etc.). The result is the media prominence value of a news item as compared to other news items, themes or individuals.

Once these values are established, the Media Prominence Score can be calculated and expressed as a percentage in relation to the prominence of an individual, of an event or of a news item, along varying timelines (daily, weekly, etc.).

wow, some of those are very ...... general. actually stunned that the oil spill wasn't number 1 and that the miners missed the list. and i think you're not too far off when you're talking about sports. frankly it IS news because it's what people want know about. few things bring people together like sport. in a way it shares a lot in common with both politics and religion....

Originally posted by inimalist
In that way, the prominance of 3 sporting events, among a lot of really negative news events, does show a, idk, sporting side to human culture?

Competition draws us as much as death and war, and maybe that says something powerful about human nature? are people looking from an escape from the negative? is there a connection between our desire for sport and violence? or I'm looking too far into it, lol!

You're looking way too deep into it. The Saints won the Super Bowl, big deal.

I also think that Obama repealing DADT was a bigger event than the Mid-term elections.

Originally posted by Quiero Mota
You're looking way too deep into it. The Saints won the Super Bowl, big deal.

I also think that Obama repealing DADT was a bigger event than the Mid-term elections.

its not supposed to say what the biggest events were though

its not that these are the most important things that happened, but they are the most reported on things, which took up the front pages and headlines of the most news media. These are the stories media are telling and what people are interested in consuming, not a reflection of what is more important on a grand scale.

Originally posted by Quiero Mota
Sporting events should not be on lists of top news stories.

👆

And the oil spill was by far the most significant event of 2010

Originally posted by The Dark Cloud
👆

even though we talk about sports more than major local and international news events, and this was a list about how often things were reported?

Originally posted by The Dark Cloud
And the oil spill was by far the most significant event of 2010

Originally posted by inimalist
its not supposed to say what the biggest events were though

its not that these are the most important things that happened, but they are the most reported on things, which took up the front pages and headlines of the most news media. These are the stories media are telling and what people are interested in consuming, not a reflection of what is more important on a grand scale.

Originally posted by inimalist

its not that these are the most important things that happened, but they are the most reported on things, which took up the front pages and headlines of the most news media. These are the stories media are telling and what people are interested in consuming, not a reflection of what is more important on a grand scale.

Sad but true. Right now Kim Kardashians new hair style is the big story on Yahoo's home page.

Originally posted by The Dark Cloud
Sad but true. Right now Kim Kardashians new hair style is the big story on Yahoo's home page.

it does speak about culture and psychology though

Originally posted by inimalist
it does speak about culture and psychology though

yep. people know there are a lot of bad things going on in the world. they find release where they can.

Originally posted by leonidas
they find release where they can.

Ha! In Kim Kardashians hair?

Originally posted by leonidas
yep. people know there are a lot of bad things going on in the world. they find release where they can.

lol, what is really strange, is if you look through the Canadian media reports, they have to print 2 lists, one with sports stories included and one without.

3 entries from the Canadian list were:

- The Montreal Canadians (hockey team) make the playoffs
- The Montreal Canadians advance to the next round of the playoffs
- The Montreal Canadians face elimination from the playoffs

WTF?!?!

over half our list is sports events. We talk about sports more than we talk about local or international news. It is so bizarre. I havent watched hockey in years, but over the break I got to watch some games with my Dad, and it is SOOO f'ing nationalistic. Not just for "team canada", but even when its just the local teams playing.

lol, another WTF canada moment...

You have a hockey team called The Canadians? Doesn't that get confusing?

no?

EDIT: of course, this might reflect the fact that we talk about the Montreal Canadians more than most other things in this nation

Originally posted by inimalist
its a Canadian site that monitors international publications

it was [b]the most talked about story of 2010

though, ya, it might be different in just the UK or whatever, but America is big news around the world
[/B]

You're average European couldn't give a **** about the US midterms.

The oil spill was talked about more, on a global scale... easily.

Maybe not in column inches becasue the yanks wank over their elections. But globally the oil spill was nmore reported and talked about globally.

Originally posted by §P0oONY
Yeah... sure it was.... 🙄

You're average European couldn't give a **** about the US midterms.

The Oil Spill was talked about more, ona global scale... easily.

so you are saying, point blank, that the list is wrong?

do you have anything to support this, aside from "I don't think so"?

Originally posted by inimalist
so you are saying, point blank, that the list is wrong?

do you have anything to support this, aside from "I don't think so"?

I simply don't beieve a stupid list off some canadian website. I'm not going to get evidence to disprove something I couldn't care less about.