Week 2 Rankings (17 – 24 July 2011)

I've decided to make these rankings on a weekly basis.  This past week-plus was a bit hectic, so I fell behind a bit, but I'll post this before moving on to the current week's news.  The Denver Post nearly matched its total from last week, and therefore retains its overall lead in the rankings.  CNN & Fox News matched the standard set last week by the Denver Post, and are also among the leaders two weeks into this blog.  The news sources will be listed in order of their rank as far as how many alerts they sent.  In parentheses to the right of the news source will be as follows: (Total Alerts This Week)(Change in # of Alerts from Previous Week)(Previous Week's Rank)(Change in Rank from Previous Week)(Overall Rank)(Rank by Circulation, where applicable)

On to this week's rankings…

1.  CNN..........................(15)(+5) (5) (+4) (2) (*)

    Fox News.....................(15)(+9) (7) (+6) (3) (*)

3.  Denver Post..................(14)(-1) (1) (-2) (1) (15)

4.  USA Today....................(13)(+13)(NR)(*)  (10)(2)

    Raleigh News & Observer......(13)(+8) (8) (+4) (7) (65)

6.  MSNBC........................(12)(+9) (10)(+4) (8) (*)

7.  New York Times...............(10)(+5) (8) (+1) (8) (3)

8.  Los Angeles Times............(9) (-2) (4) (-4) (5) (4)

9.  Washington Post..............(8) (-4) (3) (-6) (5) (6)

    Houston Chronicle............(8) (+5) (10)(+1) (12)(12)

    Minneapolis Star-Tribune.....(8) (+5) (10)(+1) (12)(17)

12. Wall Street Journal..........(7) (-7) (2) (-10)(3) (1)

13. ABC News.....................(6) (+5) (17)(+4) (14)(*)

14. CBS News.....................(5) (+3) (16)(+2) (14)(*)

    Richmond Times-Dispatch......(5) (-2) (5) (-9) (11)(74)

16. Chicago Tribune..............(4) (+1) (10)(-6) (14)(9)

    Kansas City Star.............(4) (+4) (NR)(*)  (18)(31)

18. Arizona Republic.............(3) (+2) (17)(-1) (18)(14)

    Boston Globe.................(3) (+3) (NR)(*)  (21)(29)

20. Seattle Times................(2) (+1) (17)(-3) (21)(23)

    New Orleans Times-Picayune...(2) (+2) (NR)(*)  (26)(61)

    Boston Herald................(2) (-1) (10)(-10)(17)(68)

    Providence Journal...........(2) (+1) (17)(-3) (21)(93)

    Duluth News Tribune..........(2) (+1) (17)(-3) (21)(*)

    London Daily Telegraph.......(2) (+2) (NR)(*)  (26)(*)

    WGN Radio....................(2) (+1) (17)(-3) (21)(*)

27. St Petersburg Times..........(1) (+1) (NR)(*)  (29)(19)

    Sacramento Bee...............(1) (+1) (NR)(*)  (29)(30)

    Miami Herald.................(1) (0)  (17)(-10)(26)(26)

    Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin.(1) (-2) (10)(-17)(18)(*)

    San Angelo Standard Times....(1) (+1) (NR)(*)  (29)(*)

Moving on to the Topics rankings…

World & Politics strengthened their hold on the top two spots.  Corporate and Health didn't have any news alerts this week, though Corporate remains in the middle of the rankings due to a strong first week. In parentheses to the right of the topic will be as follows: (Total Alerts This Week)(Change in # of Alerts from Previous Week)(Previous Week's Rank)(Change in Rank from Previous Week)(Overall Rank)

1.  World.........(9)(-2)(1)(0) (1)

2.  Politics......(8)(+1)(2)(0) (2)

3.  Sports........(5)(0) (5)(+2)(4)

4.  Economy.......(4)(-3)(2)(-2)(3)

5.  Military......(3)(+2)(8)(+3)(8)

6.  Entertainment.(2)(-1)(6)(0) (6)

    Legal.........(2)(-1)(6)(0) (6)

    Nature........(2)(+1)(8)(+2)(9)

    Terrorism.....(2)(+1)(8)(+2)(9)

10. Space.........(1)(0) (8)(-2)(11)

Cadel Evans of Australia Wins Tour de France – 24 July 2011

He is officially the first Australian to win the Tour de France.

1.  Raleigh News & Observer

2.  Denver Post: +6 minutes

3.  Fox News: +59 minutes

First Gay Couples Legally Wed in New York – 24 July 2011

Several gay couples became the first to legally wed in New York, the largest state in the union so far to legalize gay marriage.

1.  USA Today

2.  MSNBC: +2 minutes

3.  Denver Post: +820 minutes

Breivik Admits Oslo Bombing, Island Shooting – 23 July 2011

Anders Behring Breivik has confessed to the bombing and shootings that killed at least 92 people, according to his lawyer (I also included a few other alerts containing amplifying information after the confession).

1.  Wall Street Journal

2.  The Telegraph (London): +400 minutes (police fear that the suspect was part of a larger terror group; death toll in the attacks up to 98)

3.  New York Times: +94 minutes (suspect wrote of fear of Islam and plan for war)

4.  Denver Post: +590 minutes (Norway Suspect Wanted European Anti-Muslim Crusade)

5.  ABC News: +237 minutes (Alleged Norway Shooter Considered WMD Plot, Jihadi Alliance)

Retired Army General John Shalikashvili Dies – 23 July 2011

The first foreign-born chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff died at age 75.

1.  Los Angeles Times

2.  Washington Post: +2 minutes

Amy Winehouse Found Dead – 23 July 2011

She was found dead in her London Apartment.  She was 27 years old, and had the same birthday (though not birth year) as I do. There was heavy reporting for this one.

1.  MSNBC

2.  Fox News: +1 minute

3.  Houston Chronicle: +5 minutes

4.  CNN: +4 minutes

5.  Los Angeles Times: +6 minutes

6.  Chicago Tribune: +2 minutes

7.  USA Today: +1 minute

    E! Online

9.  ABC News: +9 minutes

    Boston Herald

11. Denver Post: +5 minutes

    Arizona Republic

13. WGN Radio: +4 minutes

    Raleigh News & Observer

15. Wall Street Journal: +1 minute

16. New York Times: +8 minutes

17. Minneapolis Star-Tribune: +18 minutes

18. Boston Globe: +9 minutes

19. CBS News: +2 minutes

20. Kansas City Star: +5 minutes

China Train Derailment – 23 July 2011

A bullet train derailed and partly fell off a bridge.

1.  Fox News (first to alert; 11 reported dead at the time)

2.  MSNBC: +194 minutes (obviously, more time to get better information for this alert; reportedly now 32 dead from this accident)

Cadel Evans Set to Become First Australian to Win Tour de France – 23 July 2011

Still one stage left, but that one never really matters, anyway.

1.  MSNBC

2.  Denver Post: +156 minutes

Boehner Ends Debt Talks With Obama – 22 July 2011

He says he will negotiate directly with Senate leaders instead.

1.  Fox News

2.  Los Angeles Times: +6 minutes

3.  Washington Post: +3 minutes

4.  MSNBC: +3 minutes

    Denver Post

    USA Today

7.  CBS News: +1 minute

8.  Houston Chronicle: +2 minutes

9.  WGN Radio: +3 minutes

    Wall Street Journal

11. CNN: +10 minutes

12. Richmond Times-Dispatch: +1 minute

13. Washington Post: +1 minute (new alert from WP that reports

    that President Obama claims that Boehner "walked away" from

    debt talks)

14. New York Times: +2 minutes

15. Raleigh News & Observer: +10 minutes

16. San Angelo Standard Times: +21 minutes

17. Washington Post: +33 minutes (Boehner claims that the White

    House "moved the goal posts" in regards to what it would

    take to close the deal and avoid default. He is still

    confident that we not default, but said that the White

    House "refused to get serious" about spending cuts.  He

    also gave what is probably my favorite quote of this affair

    (isn't much room for favorite quotes as far as this subject

    is concerned), stating that, "Dealing with the White House

    is like dealing with a bowl of Jell-O.")

Obama Certifies End to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” – 22 July 2011

This paves the way for gays to serve openly within 60 days.

1.  Fox News

2.  USA Today: +11 minutes

3.  MSNBC: +9 minutes

4.  CNN: +2 minutes

5.  Denver Post: +21 minutes

6.  Arizona Republic: +13 minutes

Heat Records Being Set – (starting) 22 July 2011

Record-breaking heat wave was making news over a few day period, so I decided to collect the ones that crossed my inbox.  Date in parentheses is date of record for the area served by that news source, and I included the old record/year, where given.

1. Providence Journal (101 degrees, 22 July 2011 (100, 1926))

2. Washington Post (121 degree heat index, 22 July 2011)

3. Washington Post (102 degrees, 23 July 2011 (101, 1991))

4. Raleigh News & Observer (5 consecutive days of triple-digit

   temperatures; new record, 19-24 July 2011)

Senate Kills House-Approved Deficit Reduction Bill – 22 July 2011

The "cut, cap, & balance" bill was tabled by the Democrat-controlled Senate, which effectively killed it.

1.  CNN (the vote was 51-46 to table the bill)

2.  Fox News: +20 minutes

Chaos in Norway – 22 July 2011

This was a crazy day in Norway, with more than just one event, and many updates as more information became available.  I'll note next to the appropriate alerts what new information they referenced.

1.  Fox News (for once, this wasn't something they could jump

    the gun on, but they were still first to the line; at the

    time of the release of this report, all that was known was

    that an "Explosion Damages Government Headquarters in Oslo,

    Several Injuries Reported")

2.  Denver Post: +6 minutes (still a strong showing as the

    newspaper becoming an obvious leader in reporting of

    worldwide events)

3.  Chicago Tribune: +21 minutes

4.  CNN: +45 minutes (at least one dead from the explosion that

    rocked the center of the capital)

5.  Fox News: +69 minutes (Fox again with new information; a

    man dressed as a policeman and armed with a handgun has

    attacked a summer camp for children near Oslo)

6.  Washington Post: +19 minutes

7.  Chicago Tribune: +12 minutes (along with Fox News, the only

    source to report both the explosion and the shootings, so

    far)

8.  CNN: +12 minutes (joins the two alert party)

9.  ABC News: +40 minutes (7 Dead as Pair of Blasts Rock

    Norwegian Capital)

10. Fox News: +6 minutes (7 Dead in Norway Bombing)

11. Denver Post: +37 minutes (a little late with this post, but

    still one of the few sources with multiple alerts at this

    time; Oslo Bomb Kills 7, Shootings at Nearby Youth Camp)

12. Fox News: +22 minutes (Eyewitness claims to have seen 25

    bodies at youth camp)

13. ABC News: +19 minutes (20 Bodies at Norway Youth Camp After

    Gunman Opens Fire)

14. Minneapolis Star-Tribune: +45 minutes (Norway Rocked by

    Bombing, Youth Camp Shootings)

15. Los Angeles Times: +13 minutes (In Wake of Bomb Attack, At

    Least 9 Killed in Oslo Youth-Camp Shooting)

16. Denver Post: +13 minutes (Oslo Police Say 9-10 People

    Killed at Youth Camp)

17. CNN: +143 minutes (32-year-old Norwegian man is in custody

    in the bombing and shootings that killed at least 17

    people)

18. Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin: +89 minutes (Oslo Bomb & Camp

    Shootings are Domestic Terror)

19. MSNBC: +106 minutes (At Least 80 Killed at Norway Youth

    Camp, Police Say)

    Fox News

21. Duluth News Tribune: +3 minutes

22. Chicago Tribune: +1 minute

    Los Angeles Times

24. Seattle Times: +2 minutes

    Washington Post

26. USA Today: +2 minutes

27. Richmond Times-Dispatch: +3 minutes

28. CNN: +4 minutes

29. Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin: +15 minutes

30. New York Times: +20 minutes

31. The Telegraph (London): +193 minutes

Owners Ratify Agreement to End NFL Lockout – 21 July 2011

This actually competed with the breaking news alerts about the repeal of DADT.  I'm just glad they got their heads out of their asses early enough to allow us to enjoy fantasy football this fall & winter.

1.  Los Angeles Times

2.  Chicago Tribune: +2 minutes

    USA Today

4.  Kansas City Star: +3 minutes

5.  CNN: +2 minutes (actually sent this alert 23 minutes before

    it sent an alert for the repeal of DADT, which was first

    broken 37 minutes before this story overall)

6.  Houston Chronicle: +11 minutes

7.  Denver Post: +11 minutes

8.  New Orleans Times-Picayune: +3 minutes

9.  Minneapolis Star-Tribune: +5 minutes

10. Raleigh News & Observer: +1 minute