CONTAINING LINKS TO 58103 STORIES FROM THE NETWORKS' NIGHTLY NEWSCASTS
TYNDALL YEAR IN REVIEW
TOP TWENTY STORIES OF 2012

minsTotalABCCBSNBC
2012: Mitt Romney campaign479160153165
Syria: rebellion becomes civil war46167264130
Superstorm Sandy hits northeast35286118148
London Summer Olympic Games2468334130
Federal budget: deficit deadline206469269
Fla neighborhood watch killing202636771
Tornado season184675265
Libya: Benghazi diplomats slain168378150
Wild forest fires in western states163535059
Afghanistan fighting continues158377546
Unemployment falls below 8%157397445
2012 Barack Obama campaign157416056
Aurora midnight movie massacre153486639
Ct school shooting: 27 dead137365645
Winter weather133552355
British royals coverage131611357
Hurricane Isaac hits Gulf Coast127482950
2012 Republican Convention120572439
Christmas holiday season115631835
Healthcare reform: OK'd by S.Ct106255031
Total Top Twenty Stories3953117113981384
Campaign 2012 Coverage2016614691710




FOCUS ON CANDIDATES (three-network mins)

yeartotal   Democratmins   Republicanmins
2012 2016Barack Obama157    Mitt Romney479
20083677Barack Obama745    John McCain531
20042433John Kerry445    George W Bush352
20003102Al Gore297    George W Bush339
19961883Bill Clinton174    Bob Dole337
19923040Bill Clinton448    GHW Bush461
19883117M Dukakis421    GHW Bush388


REPORTERS' USE OF BUREAUS

minsTotalABCCBSNBC
Foreign Dateline1555339629587
Washington DC2475716833926
Domestic Dateline8077289825852594
Non-Reporter Stories2623808941875
Hard News8154238228012971
Features/Interviews/Soft News6576237821872011
Total Annual Coverage14730476149884982


The Presidential campaign of 2012 was a lackluster affair, following the trend: contests involving an incumbent (2012, 2004, 1996, 1992) have always made less news than open races (2008, 2000, 1988). Barack Obama ran a no-drama bid, attracting only one-third of the coverage of his rival. First, Mitt Romney had to wage both a primary and a general campaign; second, as a relative unknown, he attracted more scrutiny. In all, coverage most resembled Bill Clinton’s easy victory in 1996.
Then there was the major headline ten days before Election Day that pre-empted the campaign’s final week: Superstorm Sandy led the third straight heavy year on the natural disaster beat.
A trio of sensational local stories broke onto the national stage, to make this the heaviest year of crime coverage since 1999, the year of Columbine: Sandy Hook school, the Aurora movie theater, and Trayvon Martin all became household words.
As they did in 2011, the three newscasts offer radically different editorial philosophies: CBS led in foreign coverage, the sluggish economy, wars and defense; ABC offers the softest agenda, such as features on celebrity, media, animals, holidays, devoting scant resources to the wars in Syria and Afghanistan, or to the consulate attack in Libya; NBC spends most time on hard news and natural disaster -- with the exception of its quadrennial shameless shilling for its Sports division’s Olympics.
The Most Newsworthy Man of the Year was the aforesaid Mitt Romney, for generating campaign headlines almost singlehandedly. The Woman was Amb Susan Rice, whose false Sunday morning talking points kept the Benghazi story alive.


TOP 20 MOST USED REPORTERS (Anchors excl)

netnameassignmentmins
ABCDavid MuirCampaign/Sub Anchor426
NBCAndrea MitchellState Department269
NBCChuck ToddWhite House259
ABCJim AvilaDomestic243
ABCJake TapperWhite House234
CBSNancy CordesCampaign/Capitol Hill231
NBCAnne ThompsonEnvironment201
NBCPeter AlexanderCampaign201
CBSDavid MartinPentagon190
ABCJonathan KarlCampaign/Capitol Hill184
CBSAnthony MasonEconomy178
CBSDean ReynoldsDomestic176
CBSJan CrawfordCampaign171
ABCDan HarrisDomestic159
NBCNancy SnydermanMedicine159
NBCRichard EngelForeign154
CBSJim AxelrodDomestic152
CBSWyatt AndrewsDC Bureau150
CBSSteve HartmanHuman Interest145
CBSJon LaPookMedicine141