SURVEY: POLICE-PROTESTERS CONFRONTATIONS GRAB MOST ATTENTION

The upcoming election, unusual weather and forest fires news stories have been competing for Americans’ attention in recent weeks but the public is more likely to have heard “a lot” about ongoing confrontations between police and protesters, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

That’s the finding of a Pew Research Center survey of almost 10,000 adults conducted Aug. 31 to Sept. 7.

 

About eight-in-10 adults (78%) say they have heard or read a lot about ongoing confrontations between law enforcement and protesters in cities around the country, finds Pew.

 

By comparison, smaller shares of adults say they have heard or read a lot about how increased mail-in voting could affect the 2020 presidential election (64%); President Donald Trump’s criticism of the U.S. Postal Service and his administration’s actions toward it (49%); attempts in Congress to pass another economic relief and stimulus bill (40%); and the Trump administration considering banning the social media app TikTok (40%). 

 

The survey of 9,220 adults was conducted as part of the Center’s American News Pathways project.

 

Overall, 41% of adults say recent protests related to racial inequality have received too much attention from news organizations, while 36% say they have received the right amount and 23% say they have received too little.

 

 

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IMPORTANCE OF FACE MASKS CITED.  Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing, emphasizes the importance of wearing face masks, saying, “I will continue to appeal for all Americans, all individuals in our country, to embrace these face coverings. ... [I]f we did it for six, eight, 10, 12 weeks, we'd bring this pandemic under control.” 

 

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SUBARU MODEL ATTRACTS TICKETS.  A study from insurance comparison site Insurify, that looked over 2 million insurance applications, finds drivers of the Subaru WRX compact sports car are more likely to get a speeding ticket.

 

CULTURE AND TALENT M.E. NAMED.  The Los Angeles Times appoints reporter Angel Jennings as the newspaper’s first assistant managing editor for culture and talent.  It’s part of The Times’ efforts to reform hiring practices, increase staff diversity and overhaul how it treats Black and Latino journalists and communities.