Trayvon Martin Coverage Receives Polarized Racial And Political Reaction

Americans are sharply divided along racial and political lines in their opinions of the media coverage of the Trayvon Martin case, a new study by the Pew Research Center found.

The tragedy of Martin's killing has riveted the country, with nearly every major news outlet devoting substantial coverage to the ongoing developments. But the case has also become fiercely politicized, with conservatives alleging a witch hunt against George Zimmerman, Martin's killer.

That polarization was borne out in the findings of the study. 56 percent of self-identified Republicans told Pew that there had been too much coverage of the case, as opposed to 25 percent of Democrats. Moreover, Democrats were far more likely to say that they were following the story more than any other.

The divides in racial opinion were just as stark. 58 percent of black respondents said that the case was their top story. Just 30 percent of whites said the same. Moreover, 43 percent of whites overall said there has been too much coverage of the story. 16 percent of black respondents said they felt that way.

Read the full findings of the study here.