Google “looked at the most popular searches conducted for 11 months of 2008 (we compile this list by early December) and ranked them based on how much their frequency increased compared to 2007,” dubbing these the “fastest rising” search terms of the year (h/t Kevin Drum). And?
“Fastest rising” search in Google News? “Sarah Palin.” “Fastest rising” search in Google Images? “Sarah Palin”. “Fastest rising” search for Google proper? “Obama.” And “Fox News” is sixth and the only news org on that list. (Why so many more “Fox News” Google searches this past year than in 2007? All entirely election-related? Or, what?)
“Fox” also tops the “Top Sources [Searched] For Political News” in 2008 list:
1) Fox
2) CNN
3) ABC
4) CBS
5) MSNBC
6) Drudge Report
7) New York Times
8) SNL (thanks to searches for the “show’s up-to-the-minute spoofs on the campaign.”)
9) Huffington Post
10) Wall Street Journal
Not surprisingly, “Joe the Plumber” is first on the list of top “Campaign Buzzwords” searched in 2008 (“lipstick pig” is sixth).
Liz Cox Barrett is a writer at CJR.