This morning was another low interest day as far as election coverage went with six sites not having politics in their top five list.
| The West Australian |
Sydney Morning Herald |
| 1. Ten newsreader Charmaine Dragun found dead |
1. Welcome to a Sydney you probably can't afford |
| 2. Colleauges mourn for Charmaine Dragun |
2. Charmaine's suicide shocks newsroom |
| 3. Perth gripped by Red Bull fever |
3. TV housemate in sex attack |
| 4. Swimmers on alert after monster shark spotted |
4. It's the great body swindle |
| 5. Ten newsreader Charmaine Dragun found dead |
5. The picture that scared off a 1000 tourists ... and it was a fake |
| ABC |
Advertiser |
| * Howard set to lose Bennelong: poll |
1. Newsreader's tragic message |
| * 'Joking over' for Garrett and Labor |
2. New X-Files film is out there |
| * Priest destroys 'ox testicles' fresco |
3. Girl's abduction terror |
| * Rudd promises to follow through on all policies |
4. 'My baby girls are dead' |
| * Andren dies after three-month illness |
5. Murderer's $12,000 nose job |
| Sydney Telegraph |
Melbourne Herald Sun |
| 1. Charmaine's last text message |
1. Right Brain v Left Brain |
| 2. The Right Brain vs Left Brain |
2. Frenzied attack 'didn't seem real' |
| 3. News host thrown out of bar |
3. DNA test put Maddie's parents... |
| 4. Jackie O's baby plan's smokin' |
4. Angelina 'expecting again' |
| 5. SBW splits from partner |
5. Maddy parent link |
| news.com.au |
The Age |
| 1. Newsreader 'isolated' before death |
1. Crash is coming, warns top investor |
| 2. Stella an evil, evil girl, says... |
2. Newsreader suicide at odds with social veneer |
| 3. Charmaine Dragun - in her own words |
3. Are we banking on the right dock of the bay? |
| 4. The day Joey thought to end it all |
4. Rain drain - secret Snowy water grab |
| 5. Man has ears cut off in Gold... |
5. Ears are burning, admits Garrett |
| The Australian |
Courier Mail |
| 1. Newsreader found dead |
1. Newsreader felt 'isolated' |
| 2. PM fights back in key seats |
2. Flatley's drink drive shame |
| 3. AFP insisted Haneef was no threat |
3. Howard to lose his seat |
| 4. Pratt's cartel 'cost all of us' |
4. Left Brain v Right Brain Test |
| 5. Aussie soldier seriously hurt by... |
5. PM pledges $5b for state's roads |
Give me some gossip please should be the instruction to political journalists from editors interested in giving readers more of what they actually want to read. A study of news web sites over he last five week days shows that stories about the habits, frailties and foibles of celebrities are what the visitors turn to.
The Owl's Reality check lists the top five stories each day from 10 media sites giving our five day survey a total of 250 stories and a staggering 87 of them were about what can loosely be called celebrities. Of those, celebrities and drugs accounted for 23 stories and celebrities and sexual exploits another 20.
Crime is the second most read category with 50 stories while federal politics came in third for the week on 45. More than half of those political stories were carried by The Australian (13) and the ABC (12.). The much read news.com.au site did not have one political story in its top five any day this week.
