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

The results of a new survey commissioned by LexisNexis(R) U.S., aleading 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 talkedabout in 2005. It is no surprise that Hurricane Katrina ranked numberone, with 97 percent of consumers reporting that it was the mosttalked about event at their home or office. The spike in gasoline/oilprices took second place (88%) compared to the war in Iraq, whichranked third and revealed that the domestic economy remains top ofmind for most Americans.

According to the survey commissioned by LexisNexis, Americansranked 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 with36 percent, the U.S. Supreme Court nominations followed closelybehind. The top five were also trailed by the Terri Schiavo right tolife battle (33%) and the Michael Jackson trial (24%). The MichaelJackson trial was, however, the highest ranking entertainment newsstory on the list.

"News consumption plays a critical role in what topics arediscussed in our daily lives," said Elizabeth Rector, senior vicepresident of Corporate and Federal Markets for LexisNexis. "The mosttalked about stories in 2005 included events that happened in prioryears, but had such significance that news sources carried them intothe New Year. Today, Americans receive news from a growing number ofsources, and the impact and influence of the media's effect on publicopinion only continues to rise."

Even though the Michael Jackson trial ranked as the top Hollywoodstory, several individuals considered movie star couples as the hottopic of the year. Surprisingly, the breakup of Brad Pitt and JenniferAniston was considered a more talked-about news story than Tom Cruiseand fiancee Katie Holmes -- even though Cruise and Holmes havedominated the headlines over the past six months.

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

Another interesting domestic story that resonated in the minds ofthe public was the Natalee Holloway case - the teenage girl who wentmissing in Aruba in late spring. A quarter of respondents felt thatthe Holloway case belonged in the top five. Holloway's story alsoranked slightly above the Michael Jackson trial, which is interestingconsidering 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 forLexisNexis during the month of November 2005 and the survey is basedon a representative sample of the U.S. Census Bureau data. It is alsopart of a larger survey on the information consumption habits ofconsumers and businesses. Further details from the study will bereleased in the coming weeks.

LexisNexis Year in Review Web site

For further details on these actual events as they were covered inthe news, go to the "2005 Year in Review: When It Happened, How It WasCovered" Web site at: http://www.lexisnexis.com/news.

The site covers a unique perspective on the people and events thatshaped the news in 2005, and it allows visitors to journey back to theactual day this year's top national and international news eventsoccurred.

About LexisNexis

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

LexisNexis works closely with its customers to addressjob-specific and organization-wide information needs, drivingproductivity and confident decision-making. With breaking news,legislation and regulations, business intelligence, intellectualproperty and public opinion, LexisNexis provides access to theinterpretive 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.