07.01.2009 2:41 pm
Two-thirds say coverage of Jackson was excessive
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
A new poll out from the Pew Center says two-thirds of those surveyed thought there was too much coverage of Michael Jackson’s death. The posting includes a list of the people whose deaths were closely watched by the public. Princess Diana tops the list, President Kennedy is second and Steve “the crocodile hunter” Irwin is third.
Jean is projects editor at the Post-Dispatch. She is a member of Bridges Across Racial Polarization, a group devoted to creating friendships and fostering communication among racial and cultural groups in the community. After growing up in a small town in Kansas, she lived in Kansas City and Wilmington, Del., before moving to St. Louis in 2004. She and her husband, Dan Wiggs, live in University City. 
EJ -
Although Elvis was considered by some (as still is) as the King, I never really liked his music. My “icons” were Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, etc., top 40 music has never been on my dial.
Neither Elvis or Michael Jackson did anything of significance outside of their small world of pop music. Neither merits this much dioscussion, except possibly as cautionary examples of prescription drug addiction and bad diets.
E.J.,
–Leave it to you to muddy the water. The issue is the presses’ obsession on the story…not the story, try to stay focused here.
–It is the “culture of personality”, focused 24/7 on the story, that is the story. Kind of expected, but comment-worthy none the less.
–It’s not like there are any real news going on…
What factors determine how much coverage a story usually receives, doc? Now, think hard.