What Americans wanted to learn about and what they got from the media weren’t in sync during the middle of October, according to the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The think tank’s News Interest Index for October 13-16 found the stories that people were most interested in had to do with the economy (20%). Behind that was the coverage of the Occupy Wall Street protests, which was the top story for 18% of Americans.

Meanwhile, the topic most covered by news outlets during the survey period was the 2012 election and, in particular, the battle for the Republican nomination (19%), followed by the news of Iran ’s alleged plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia ’s ambassador to the U.S. (13%).

-Noel Brinkerhoff

Growing Attention to Wall Street Protests (Pew Research Center For The People & The Press) (pdf)