Media coverage of the economy lags, according to study

Media coverage of the economic downturn in the U.S. has lagged behind both economic activity and public interest, according to a study being released Monday by a Washington, D.C.-based research group.

Associated Press business writer Kristen Lee reports, “The Project for Excellence in Journalism analyzed more than 5,000 economic stories in 2007 and the first half of 2008. The stories, by 48 different news outlets, were delivered by cable news channels, network television, radio, newspapers and the Internet.

“The study found that reliance on government data to track the economy is leading to scattershot coverage that, at times, lags months behind actual economic conditions.

“‘We can see little flashpoints in gas prices or a spike in joblessness but getting the whole picture is extremely difficult, in part because we’re depending on government collected data, which could often be three months later,’ said Project Director Tom Rosenstiel.

“At times, this has meant that reporters were writing about weakening economic trends at the very moment that conditions were starting to improve or vice versa.”

Read more here. The study can be found here.