D e s e r t E x p o s u r e
August 2010
The Tumbleweeds Top 10
Who and what's been making news from New Mexico this past month, as measured by mentions in Google News (news.google.com), which tracks 4,500 worldwide news sources (trends noted are vs. last month's total hits; * indicates new to the list). Number in parenthesis indicates last month's Top 10 rank. With its first crewed flight test complete and the first "drop" of SpaceShipTwo possible this fall, Virgin Galactic knocks the Bill Richardson-Calista Flockhart-Harrison Ford nuptials out of our news ranking. Plus: Border controversies heat up and who's killing those wolves?
- (1) Gov. Bill Richardson — 778 hits (down)
- (2) New Mexico budget — 487 hits (down)
- (-) New Mexico + Border Patrol — 459 hits (up)
- (5) Sen. Jeff Bingaman — 456 hits (up)
- (9) Virgin Galactic — 373 hits (up)
- (4) New Mexico illegal immigration — 322 hits (up)
- (-) New Mexico wolves — 320 hits (up)
- (8) Susana Martinez — 117 hits (down)
- (6) Sen. Tom Udall — 100 hits (down)
- (-) Rep. Harry Teague — 66 hits (down)