Statistics wiz Nate Silver analyzed media coverage of possible GOP 2012 candidates and his results paint a dramatic picture of Donald Trump’s meteoric rise and Sarah Palin’s equally spectacular collapse in the press.
According to Silver’s research, Donald Trump has occupied 40% of all coverage of the GOP primaries in blogs, newspapers, television, and radio stations over the last month. His share of the spotlight by far outpaces any other likely contender, only one of whom breaks into double digits — barely.
That runner-up would be Palin, who has seen her press coverage rapidly decline in recent months along with her credibility as a candidate. Palin occupied only 11% of primary coverage in April, the same percentage as March, when she was eclipsed by Newt Gingrich — who announced his exploratory committee — at 19%.That represents a huge drop since November 2010, when Palin dominated the conversation with 51% of all coverage, providing some statistical evidence to the case pundits have made in recent weeks that she no longer holds the same buzz she used to. Apparently it’s getting to her staff, who have taken to complaining on Twitter about the lack of coverage.
Benjy Sarlin
Benjy Sarlin is a reporter for Talking Points Memo and co-writes the campaign blog, TPM2012. He previously reported for The Daily Beast/Newsweek as their Washington Correspondent and covered local politics for the New York Sun.
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