Most Talked-About News in 2005: Americans Rank Hurricane Katrina and Spike in Oil Prices Highest, Reports LexisNexis Survey

Business Wire, Dec 19, 2005

DAYTON, Ohio -- LexisNexis:

That's Entertainment! New Data Reveals the Michael Jackson Trial Ranked as the Top Entertainment News Story of the Year but Brad and Jen's Breakup was also on the Tip of America's Tongues

The results of a new survey commissioned by LexisNexis(R) U.S., a leading provider of news, business and legal information services, reveals the most talked-about news stories of the year.

More than 1,500 Americans ranked the stories they most talked about in 2005. It is no surprise that Hurricane Katrina ranked number one, with 97 percent of consumers reporting that it was the most talked about event at their home or office. The spike in gasoline/oil prices took second place (88%) compared to the war in Iraq, which ranked third and revealed that the domestic economy remains top of mind for most Americans.

According to the survey commissioned by LexisNexis, Americans ranked the top five most talked-about news stories in 2005 as follows:

1. Hurricane Katrina

2. The spike in gasoline and oil prices

3. The war in Iraq

4. Tsunami disaster

5. London terrorist bombings

While the London terrorist bombings took the number five slot with 36 percent, the U.S. Supreme Court nominations followed closely behind. The top five were also trailed by the Terri Schiavo right to life battle (33%) and the Michael Jackson trial (24%). The Michael Jackson trial was, however, the highest ranking entertainment news story on the list.

"News consumption plays a critical role in what topics are discussed in our daily lives," said Elizabeth Rector, senior vice president of Corporate and Federal Markets for LexisNexis. "The most talked about stories in 2005 included events that happened in prior years, but had such significance that news sources carried them into the New Year. Today, Americans receive news from a growing number of sources, and the impact and influence of the media's effect on public opinion only continues to rise."

Even though the Michael Jackson trial ranked as the top Hollywood story, several individuals considered movie star couples as the hot topic of the year. Surprisingly, the breakup of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston was considered a more talked-about news story than Tom Cruise and fiancee Katie Holmes -- even though Cruise and Holmes have dominated the headlines over the past six months.

The war in Iraq and the tsunami disaster were the leading international affairs in the top five. However, international news barely outshined domestic stories. The U.S. Supreme Court nominations were listed right behind the London terrorist bombings.

Another interesting domestic story that resonated in the minds of the public was the Natalee Holloway case - the teenage girl who went missing in Aruba in late spring. A quarter of respondents felt that the Holloway case belonged in the top five. Holloway's story also ranked slightly above the Michael Jackson trial, which is interesting considering Holloway is not a public figure.

Survey Accuracy Rate

The survey had 1,500 respondents so the margin of error is /-2.3% at a confidence level of 95%. Insight Express conducted the survey for LexisNexis during the month of November 2005 and the survey is based on a representative sample of the U.S. Census Bureau data. It is also part of a larger survey on the information consumption habits of consumers and businesses. Further details from the study will be released in the coming weeks.

LexisNexis Year in Review Web site

For further details on these actual events as they were covered in the news, go to the "2005 Year in Review: When It Happened, How It Was Covered" Web site at: http://www.lexisnexis.com/news.> The site covers a unique perspective on the people and events that shaped the news in 2005, and it allows visitors to journey back to the actual day this year's top national and international news events occurred.

About LexisNexis

LexisNexis(R) (www.lexisnexis.com) is a leader in comprehensive and authoritative legal, news and business information and tailored applications. A member of Reed Elsevier Group plc (NYSE:ENL; NYSE:RUK) (www.reedelsevier.com), the company does business in 100 countries with 13,000 employees worldwide. In addition to its flagship Web-based Lexis(R) and Nexis(R) research services, the company includes some of the world's most respected legal publishers such as Martindale-Hubbell(R), Matthew Bender(R), Butterworths, JurisClasseur, Abeledo-Perrot and Orac.

LexisNexis works closely with its customers to address job-specific and organization-wide information needs, driving productivity and confident decision-making. With breaking news, legislation and regulations, business intelligence, intellectual property and public opinion, LexisNexis provides access to the interpretive data and the facts and figures that impact peoples' business decisions across the globe.

Editor's Note:

Most talked about news stories of 2005          Percentage of votes
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Hurricane Katrina                                       97%
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The spike in gasoline/oil prices                        88%
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The war in Iraq                                         83%
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The tsunami disaster                                    62%
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London terrorist bombings                               36%
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U.S. Supreme Court nominations                          35%
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Terri Schiavo                                           33%
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Missing in Aruba, Natalee Holloway                      25%
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The Michael Jackson trial                               24%
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The breakup of Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt            9%
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The Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes relationship             8%
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Source: LexisNexis, November 2005 Survey of 1,500 adults.