Sheehan Update: Media Pushes Story

Cindy Sheehan is officially established as the counterpoint to Bush's war strategy. While she remained out of the spotlight, today's Nexis search shows that the press is shoving her forward, mentioning her in dozens of stories about the president's speeches and statements about the war.

It's interesting. They could have chosen any number of counterpoints -- a Dem. member of the Sen. Armed Services Committee, for example -- but they've latched onto Sheehan in an apparent effort to keep the pot warm until she returns.

Aug. 23: 249 hits
Aug. 22: 202 hits
Aug. 21: 120 hits
Aug. 20: 103 hits
Aug. 19: 232 hits
Aug. 18: 306 hits
Aug. 17: 295 hits
Aug. 16: 215 hits
Aug. 15: 136 hits
Aug. 14: 93 hits
Aug. 13: 107 hits
Aug. 12: 167 hits
Aug. 11: 113 hits
Aug. 10: 46 hits
Aug. 09: 32 hits
Aug. 08: 36 hits
Aug. 07: 39 hits
Aug. 06: 7 hits (6 AP, 1 CBS, natch)
Aug. 05: 3 hits (all Dallas Morning News, pre-arrival)
Aug. 04: 0 hits

And here's an update in the Sheehan/Roberts comparo:

Sheehan: 249 ...... Roberts: 59

Note: Nexis does not provide a complete count. Video Monitoring Service had tracked over 20,000 Sheehan mentionsby Aug. 17. Nexis is, however, a good indicator of how heaviliy the media is covering a story, and it focuses more on larger papers and network shows that more people read and view. CBS News hits deleted from Sheehan/Roberts count because they mention correspondent John Roberts, not the Supreme Court nominee.