The most popular news videos on YouTube tended to depict natural disasters or political upheaval--usually featuring intense visuals.  For example, this video, below, taken from a surveillance video at the Sendai airport in Japan, was the most-viewed video on YouTube in 2011, with more than 20 million views.

The second biggest news storyline on YouTube during the 15 months studied was the Russian parliamentary and presidential elections. A 50-second fake news clip posted in February used special effects to make it appear as if Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was on trial for corruption and terrorism. 

While pop stars often receive millions of hits for their videos and interviews on YouTube, the lure of personality was far less of a draw for news and political videos. Fully 65% of the most watched news videos did not feature any individual. President Obama figured in more of the popular videos than any other individual, like this video below, where the president sings a line from a song by Al Green.

But even Kim Jung Il, the late North Korean leader, posthumously had his moment. A video captured during the ceremonies sparked debate about whether the mourners actually felt sad over the death or whether the North Korean government shaped the clips to promote a certain perspective.

The media took notice of the PEJ report and hundreds of news sites reported on the findings on the day of the release.

Some journalists, like Raju Narisetti @rajunarisetti, Managing Editor of the Wall Street Journal Digital Network, commented on what newsrooms could learn from the findings. 

Others drew attention to the levity these findings bring to the platform, broadening its appeal beyond entertainment, personal videos and cat euphoria..