How the Press Covered the Laci Peterson Case

            Whether you like it or not, for most Bay Area news media it's been a very big story.

            San Francisco Chronicle: From January 1 to May 19, the Chronicle published 64 stories primarily about the case, making it one of the most heavily reported stories of the period. Of those 64, 18 were played on the front page. That's 28%.

Data are from a search of staff-written stories from the paper's electronic archive at SFGate.com. Associated Press and free-lance stories are generally not catalogued and thus are not included in these totals.

            San Jose Mercury News: During the same period, the Mercury also published 64 stories, including 16 on the front page. That's one of four stories displayed as the most important of the day. Data are from a search of the Mercury archive on the Bayarea.com website.

            Contra Costa Times: During the same four and a half months, the Times published 34 stories. Of those, 20 were given front page play. That's 59%. Data are from a search of the Times archive on the Bayarea.com website.

            Local Television Stations: Archives of Bay Area television stations are not as readily searchable, however, a casual scan of evening newscasts showed the story to be a consistent first segment report during the same period.