The economic crisis was the top story in the media last week – across all platforms.

But in looking at the breakdown among specific media sectors, we see a clear divide in focus between cable news and network news when it comes to oil disaster coverage.

The news from the Gulf today is that the “Static Kill” operation has been successful and that the well is plugged and the oil dissipating although work is far from done. Shepard Smith, however, is skeptical and made that abundantly clear on today’s Studio B. With the director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy, Carol Browner as his guest, Smith did everything but flat out accuse BP and the administration of lying about the clean up progress. Unsurprisingly, Browner was none too thrilled about the implication.

At today’s White House briefing, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was generously given the opportunity to apologize to outgoing BP CEO Tony Hayward for criticism the administration leveled at Hayward’s May comments about the size of the spill relative to the ocean. While Republican Joe Barton was quick to volunteer an apology to Hayward for the $20 billion fund to compensate for oil spill damages, Gibbs wasn’t in such a contrite mood. In fact, he said “Nobody owes Tony Hayward an apology.

Yesterday, incoming BP CEO Bob Dudley announced that the company would initiating a pullback of the cleanup efforts, with “less boom, fewer hazmat suits, but no less commitment,” according to MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell. This was deemed appropriate because, according to Dudley, no oil was flowing out of the oil well. Except there was no way to verify that, because the live feed of the seafloor had been shut off for three days.

While his predecessor, Tony Hayward tried to clear his image in America in his first interview since announcing his departure from the company, incoming BP CEO Bob Dudley wet his feet in the American media pool last night in an interview with Greta Van Susteren, where he expressed optimism in the clean-up operation and the belief that the open well is now probably capped permanently.

An AFP story Tuesday ran with the headline, “Gulf focus shifts, but where is all the oil?” The story essentially states that while clean-up efforts are in full swing after the well was finally capped, the crews are not finding very much oil in the Gulf; they’re actually wondering where it has gone. Well, Mother Jones has a response: it hasn’t gone anywhere. In fact, MoJo is criticizing the media for its reporting on the situation.

Fox News correspondent Jonathan Serrie has been down in the Gulf Coast eight times, and 40 days, over the last 100, covering the BP oil disaster.

We talked to Serrie today about the federal vs. local government reaction, Katrina comparisons and more.

ABC News anchor and correspondent David Muir has seen the BP oil disaster from the air and the ground, from Louisiana and Mississippi.

Now 100 days in, we talked to Muir today about why Tony Hayward resigned at this particular moment, the political red tape and more.

After news broke of BP CEO Tony Hayward‘s ignominious exile to Siberia, Hayward took the fall and acknowledged his role in the BP oil disaster. Kidding! He obviously blamed it on the American Lamestream Media™. Shockingly, asked by Mediaite White House correspondent Tommy Christopher to comment on Hayward’s departure, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs wasn’t feeling Hayward’s pain all that much.

NBC News’ Anne Thompson has been reporting on the BP oil disaster since the very beginning – she estimates she has been on scene for 90 of the 99 days.

We talked to Thompson today about Tony Hayward‘s exit, comparisons to Katrina and the ways in which BP isn’t cooperating with the media.

The host of the top cable news show, Fox News Bill O’Reilly, was interviewed last night by the host of the top late night show, NBC’s Jay Leno.

The two-segment discussion saw some surprising takes from O’Reilly on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and Lindsay Lohan – and an extremely harsh joke at exiting BP CEO Tony Hayward‘s expense.

Wednesday marks 100 days since the BP oil disaster began, and stories from the Gulf Coast continue to pour in. Although the leak is capped (for now), the media coverage continues – how BP is compensating workers and families, the BP corporate structure, environmental concerns and more.

Last month we talked to reporters and anchors from ever network about covering the spill. This week we’ll do it again.

The Obama family recently took a family vacation to Mt. Desert Island, Maine, and received some predictable criticism about presidential vacation time. Well only the most cynical critics will find political fault with the news that the Obamas intend to visit the Gulf Coast en famille as show of support for the area most effected by the BP OIl Disaster.

Unfortunately, the oil disaster in the Gulf is not the only terrible oil spill currently going on. Chinese officials are currently trying to clean up the largest reported spill the nation has ever had. By this morning (the fifth day since a pipeline exploded, causing the leak) the spill had grown to 165 square miles with one known casualty during the clean up efforts. Earlier this week, the environmental group Greenpeace China released a series of photos from the scene and they are all, unsurprisingly horrific.

In an interview with ABC’s Diane Sawyer scheduled to air tonight, UK Prime Minister David Cameron argued that a thorough investigation of the release of Lockerbie Bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was unnecessary, but despite this he promises to work hand-in-hand with the US government in their investigation of possible connections between al-Megrahi and BP.

The Alabama Gulf Coast is known for many things, like Civil War era fortresses and alcohol-soaked spring breaks. But now, the southern strip of white sand beaches has another, less flattering trademark attraction thanks to the BP oil disaster: exploding water.

Last week news broke that the fifth and most recent effort to cap the destroyed oil well in the Gulf had worked – albeit temporarily. Both Federal officials and BP expressed caution that they would need at least three days (if not more) to determine just how effective the cap was working, fearing that the pressure build-up may in fact cause further damage. Well, now it appears that there may very well be a “seep” above the capped leak, and now there is an ongoing debate between the Feds and BP as to how best address the situation.

Louisiana Senator David Vitter appeared yesterday on Fox News Sunday and made the rather striking claim that President Obama is effectively trying to conceal the BP Oil Disaster rather than focus on cleaning it up. When asked by host Chris Wallace if the White House was trying to “sweep it under the rug,” agreed that he believed that was Obama’s “political motivation.”

Earlier this week, First Lady Michelle Obama visited the beach in Panama City, Florida, delivering a simple message in support of the local businesses effected by the BP Oil Disaster: come to the beaches, they’re clean and open for business. This came up as a topic last night on The O’Reilly Factor, and guest Glenn Beck expressed outrage at what the First Lady chose to wear during the visit, calling it “the most Marie Antoinette I have ever seen of anything with Michelle Obama.”

Talk about strange bedfellows: When today’s O’Reilly Factor “Pinheads and Patriots” promo showcased James Carville and Jude Law, it seemed pretty obvious, based on previous experience, who would win which award– the mystery of Jude Law’s appearance notwithstanding. But tonight, Bill O’Reilly threw us a curveball, giving the colorful Carville the “Patriot” award for “his candor and looking out for the folks of the Gulf Coast.”

It’s day 86 of the BP Oil Disaster — but there’s a good chance you already knew that because the news media have been closely following the situation from way back in April. Well, Andrew Tyndall is sick of it. On the Tyndall Report, he wrote an entry arguing that the national coverage of the situation has gone overboard; enough already!

According to numerous wire reports, for the first time in 87 days, there is currently no oil flowing into the Gulf of Mexico as a result of the broken BP controlled oil well Deepwater Horizon. While the news is certainly encouraging, officials continue to be very cautious, and are planning to continue with a “stress test” of the oil cap for the next 48 hours. If all goes well after the additional precautionary measure, this could very well be the end of the oil leaking into the gulf.

Well James Carville is at it again – blasting the Obama administration for policies that he feels “are killing the economy” in the Gulf Coast. The Louisiana native and Democratic strategist who worked closely with the Clinton administration has not demurred in his criticisms of how the current White House has handled the BP Oil Disaster.

National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen held a press conference today to explain the next steps BP is taking in its attempt to plug the gushing oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. After several failed attempts to plug the leak, BP is increasingly optimistic about this latest attempt, and Admiral Allen notes that we will know later tonight after an integrity test that will seal the well completely whether this really is the end of the leak.

Well, it only took 84 days but it looks like the latest attempt (the eighth!) to end the furious leaking of oil into the Gulf of Mexico may have actually been successful. Some oil might still be leaking and we won’t know for sure until tomorrow or the days to come if this is really over. However officials are optimistic and there was apparently “excitement” throughout BP today as the containment cap weighing 150,000 pounds was placed over the leak more than a mile under the surface.