Republicans Think Trayvon Coverage Overblown

The drama surrounding Trayvon Martin's death has captivated the country, but a majority of Republicans (56%) believe the case is getting too much media coverage, as do a sizable chunk of white people (43%), according to a new Pew Poll. By contrast, only 25% of Democrats and 16% of blacks believe the story is overplayed. It "has emerged as a kind of flashpoint story that divides people," a Pew associate director tells the LA Times. "People have very different reactions based on race and ethnicity."

Despite the backlash in some quarters, the Trayvon story continues to fascinate: 30% said they were following the story more closely than any other, making it the public's story of the week for the second week running—the Supreme Court health care hearings lagged way behind, taking second with 15%. But Pew's analysis of media coverage shows that outlets devoted 19% of their coverage to the ObamaCare proceedings, compared to 18% to Trayvon. (More Trayvon Martin stories.)