Some time ago, I found from a source I can't remember an analysis which 
demonstrated how dramatically references to Afghanistan had expanded 
AFTER September 11 2001. This shows the way the news media do not 
cover, then cover, then do not cover, events. 
 
Can someone point me to the source and pertinent quotations for this 
information? 

I think that it is discusting how everybody has seemed to forget about
what happened that day 'September 11' i think that the public should
be informed on the progress or lack of

Hello,
There is an article here
http://www.msnbc.com/news/696580.asp?cp1=1#BODY
called: "Q&A: How 9-11 Changed Media Coverage".
Quotes include:
"In August, there were just a handful of journalists covering
Afghanistan. Four months later, an estimated 1,200 international
correspondents covered the United Nations discussions in Bonn,
Germany, on establishing an interim government for Afghanistan."
Hope that helps!

joanne64, thank you for the citation. It does help, though I am still
seeking a *quantification* of this. As i recall, it was quite
astounding -- the order of magnitude of coverage AFTER so far
surpassed before (and, yes, who knew where Kabul was before?).

From the Columbia Journalism Review:
"American newspapers have carried more stories about Afghanistan on
page one in the four months since the September 11 attacks than in the
previous four decades."
There are also other interesting statistics in that article.
http://www.cjr.org/year/02/1/parks.asp

However, it's unclear whether that opening statement is a statement of
verified fact or merely rhetoric.

Perhaps the most thorough study of pre-Sept. 11 news coverage is this
document, "Western Interests in Afghanistan and their Consequences for
the American People."  It details in depth the ups and downs of the
New York Times' coverage of Afghanistan, but it doesn't provide a
comparison for after Sept. 11.
http://www.asap-net.org/archive/new_afghan_us_1.pdf

This is also of interest:
Rudman-Hart Commission Warns of Terrorist Attack: Why Did the News
Media Ignore It?
http://www.brook.edu/dybdocroot/comm/transcripts/20020206.htm

I wish I had the time to give you a direct answer to your question,
because it's an interesting subject.  I hope this helps you or one of
the other researchers.

mvguy, that citation goes in the right direction for what I seek, and
I thank you. I remember a still more specifc enumeration, but this
will do if I can't get that one. Thanks again.