N represents a negative story (132). P represents a positive story (34). For simplicity, neutral stories (17) are designated M for medium.

Neutral stories are those that are least likely to make the occupation of Iraq be placed into a positive or negative light, or stories that provide neither good nor bad news. One such report was about "whether US attempt to kill Saddam was successful." No one knew yet if the dictator was killed in a bomb attack, making the story neither upbeat nor downbeat.

The headlines/summaries are based on those from Burrelle's Information Services.

N-Gunfire continues in Fallujah and Baghdad
--May 1, 2003 Thursday

P-US military has arrested three more of its most-wanted Iraqis
--May 2, 2003 Friday

N-Still no clear evidence Iraq had weapons of mass destruction
--May 4, 2003 Sunday

N-How one Iraqi family is fairing in postwar Baghdad
--May 4, 2003 Sunday

P-Van found in Iraq which may be mobile bioweapons lab, and another one of Iraq's most wanted captured
--May 5, 2003 Monday

P-US Army captain who is helping Iraqi children
--May 5, 2003 Monday

M-President Bush chooses Paul Bremer to oversee political part of Iraq's transition from dictatorship to democracy
--May 6, 2003 Tuesday

N-US forces hunting for roughly $1 billion Saddam Hussein ordered stolen from the central bank just before the war began
--May 6, 2003 Tuesday

N-Audiotape possibly proves Saddam Hussein lives
--May 7, 2003 Wednesday

N-Iraqi citizens accuse new police force of being as corrupt as old
--May 8, 2003 Thursday

N-Death of NBC correspondent David Bloom may be linked to bad reaction to smallpox vaccine
--May 8, 2003 Thursday

N-Three American soldiers killed in Black Hawk crash north of Baghdad; latest on conditions in Iraq
--May 9, 2003 Friday

N-Boston Globe reporter Elizabeth Neuffer killed in highway accident in Iraq
--May 9, 2003 Friday

M-Iraqi Shia leader begins a homeward journey
--May 10, 2003 Saturday

N-Shake-up in American administration in Iraq
--May 11, 2003 Sunday

N-Paul Bremer takes over civil administration in Iraq
--May 12, 2003 Monday

P-US forces make another significant new arrest of an Iraqi scientist
--May 12, 2003 Monday

P-Iraqis reported finding thousands of bodies; US forces are examining a second suspected mobile weapons lab; Iraqi selected to run Health Ministry quits
--May 13, 2003 Tuesday

N-US military commanders insist they're aggressively targeting looters in Iraq but deny reports that they've issued new shoot-to-kill orders against looters
--May 14, 2003 Wednesday

N-Two US servicemen die in the past 24 hours in accidents in Iraq
--May 14, 2003 Wednesday

N-American troops continue to try to restore law and order to Baghdad
--May 15, 2003 Thursday

P-Ba'ath Party leader captured
--May 16, 2003 Friday

N-Plans for self-governance in Iraq put on hold
--May 17, 2003 Saturday

N-US Marine Corps transport helicopter crashes in Iraq killing all four on board
--May 19, 2003 Monday

N-Iraqis upset with failure of US government to secure the streets and restore basic services
--May 19, 2003 Monday

N-Lack of security remains the most pressing problem in Iraq
--May 21, 2003 Wednesday

N-Overnight ambush near Baghdad triggers deadly firefight
--May 22, 2003 Thursday

N-American soldiers still fighting and dying in Iraq
--May 26, 2003 Monday

N-Problems and threats American troops face in city of Hit
--May 26, 2003 Monday

N-US troops in Iraq come under attack in Fallujah and Baghdad
--May 27, 2003 Tuesday

M-Whether US attempt to kill Saddam was successful
--May 28, 2003 Wednesday

N-Streets of Baghdad remain dangerous for soldiers and civilians alike
--May 29, 2003 Thursday

N-Challenges faced by US forces in Iraq according to top US Army commander there
--May 29, 2003 Thursday

P-Iraqi documents have solved part of the mystery of the disappearance of Scott Speicher in Iraq during the first Gulf War
--May 30, 2003 Friday

N-Whether facts of Jessica Lynch's rescue were manipulated to create a better story
--May 31, 2003 Saturday

N-Iraqi doctor and nurse who treated Jessica Lynch give version different from that of US government
--May 31, 2003 Saturday

P-Iraqi man who spent two decades hiding from Saddam in the walls of his mother's home
--June 1, 2003 Sunday

N-Out-of-work veterans march through Baghdad demanding back pay
--June 2, 2003 Monday

P-US forces may have found prohibited weapons in Iraq
--June 2, 2003 Monday

N-American soldier killed during an ambush in Iraq
--June 3, 2003 Tuesday

M-US military still hunting for evidence of Saddam Hussein's arsenal
--June 4, 2003 Wednesday

M-US military engineers excavating what little remains of house flattened by bombs during the war
--June 4, 2003 Wednesday

N-Coordinated attacks on US troops in Baghdad leave several injured and at least one dead
--June 5, 2003 Thursday

M-Former Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz suffers a mild heart attack,
--June 5, 2003 Thursday

P-Private Saddam Hussein home video unearthed in Baghdad and sold on the market
--June 5, 2003 Thursday

N-US forces try to deal with continuing ambushes in Iraq
--June 6, 2003 Friday

N-Looting of nuclear research facility in Iraq may pose public health risk
--June 6, 2003 Friday

N-US troops in Iraq under deadly fire in Tikrit
--June 7, 2003 Saturday

M-Another mass grave found in Iraq
--June 7, 2003 Saturday

N-US troops still threatened by conventional weapons in Iraq
--June 8, 2003 Sunday

N-US troops in Iraq continue to get ambushed
--June 9, 2003 Monday

N-Another American soldier killed in Baghdad
--June 10, 2003 Tuesday

N-US troops continue to be targets of Saddam loyalists in Iraq
--June 10, 2003 Tuesday

N-US death toll in Iraq reaches 206
--June 10, 2003 Tuesday

N-US troops still face plenty of problems in quieter parts of Iraq
--June 10, 2003 Tuesday

N-US forces in major battles in Iraq
--June 13, 2003 Friday

N-What US war planners got right and what they got wrong in the war against Iraq
--June 13, 2003 Friday

N-US troops' efforts to stop ambushes in Iraq endangers their pro-America mission
--June 14, 2003 Saturday

N-American troops still coming under attack in Iraq
--June 15, 2003 Sunday

N-As American troops turn up the heat in Iraq, they often find themselves back under fire
--June 16, 2003 Monday

N-Killing of US soldiers and other problems hold pace of US rebuilding efforts in Iraq to a frustrating crawl
--June 17, 2003 Tuesday

P-Another of the most-wanted figures in Saddam Hussein's regime has been arrested
--June 18, 2003 Wednesday

N-Another violent day in the streets of Baghdad, with another American killed
--June 18, 2003 Wednesday

N-Another American soldier killed in Iraq today; two more wounded
--June 19, 2003 Thursday

N-US forces continue to hunt for Saddam Hussein
--June 20, 2003 Friday

N-Human cost to the war in Iraq continues to rise
--June 20, 2003 Friday

P-US military says it's making progress in the hunt for Iraqi weapons of mass destruction
--June 21, 2003 Saturday

N-Saddam loyalists not giving up hope that Saddam is still alive
--June 22, 2003 Sunday

N-Major pipeline erupts in town west of Baghdad
--June 22, 2003 Sunday

N-Deadly attacks continue against American troops in Iraq
--June 23, 2003 Monday

N-Attacks continue on coalition forces in Iraq as six British troops are killed in southern Iraq
--June 24, 2003 Tuesday

N-Difficulties being faced by the civil administration in Iraq to return electricity and water service to Iraqi residents
--June 24, 2003 Tuesday

N-Al-Jazeera releases what it calls video of an attack on US forces in Iraq
--June 25, 2003 Wednesday

N-British troops search for gumnen who killed six British military policemen yesterday in Iraq
--June 25, 2003 Wednesday

N-Another American soldier killed today in Iraq as anti-US forces launch deadly new flurry of attacks
--June 26, 2003 Thursday

N-Possible reasons for the upsurge in anti-US attacks inside Iraq
--June 26, 2003 Thursday

P-Signs of return to normalcy amid chaos in Iraq
--June 27, 2003 Friday

N-Uncertain future in Iraq a political issue in Washington
--June 27, 2003 Friday

N-US military becoming bigger targets as frustration grows within Iraq
--June 28, 2003 Saturday

N-Family of Gladimir Philippe (US soldier) mourns his death in Iraq
--June 28, 2003 Saturday

M-US troops in Iraq hoping to crush the resistance responsible for daily attacks on American lives
--June 29, 2003 Sunday

M-US troops launch Operation Sidewinder aimed at capturing Saddam loyalists and preventing attacks on US soldiers
--June 30, 2003 Monday

N-Struggle continues to win the peace in Iraq
--July 1, 2003 Tuesday

N-Rocket-propelled grenade attack in Baghdad injures not only American soldiers, but Iraqi children
--July 3, 2003 Thursday

M-US offers reward of up to $25 million for capture of Saddam Hussein or proof that he is dead
--July 3, 2003 Thursday

P-Many treasures Iraqi National Museum curators feared were looted and gone for good have been found in underground safe
--July 3, 2003 Thursday

M-CIA anlayzes audio to determine if it's Saddam
--July 4, 2003 Friday

N-More attacks on American troops in Iraq that are trying to change the lives of Iraqis
--July 4, 2003 Friday

N-British freelance journalist killed in Iraq
--July 5, 2003 Saturday

N-Seven Iraqi police cadets killed by bomb
--July 5, 2003 Saturday

N-Attacks on Americans in Iraq has some asking if the US force is big enough
--July 5, 2003 Saturday

N-Attacks against soldiers continue in Iraq
--July 6, 2003 Sunday

N-US troops continue to find themselves ambushed in Iraq
--July 7, 2003 Monday

P-US captures Iraqi intelligence officer who could answer the question as to whether Iraq was involved in the 9/11 attacks
--July 8, 2003 Tuesday

N-US officials increasingly blaming guerrilla-style attacks on US soldiers on Iraqis who believe Saddam Hussein is alive and will regain power
--July 8, 2003 Tuesday

P-US military says two more of the most-wanted Iraqis are now in custody
--July 9, 2003 Wednesday

N-Iraqi police are losing confidence in America's peacekeeping power
--July 10, 2003 Thursday

N-US troops lower their profile in Fallujah so local police may have an easier time controlling the area
--July 11, 2003 Friday

P-US troops in Iraq not affected by State of the Union controversy
--July 12, 2003 Saturday

N-US troops withdraw from Fallujah
--July 12, 2003 Saturday

P-US speeds up appointment of interim governing council in Iraq
--July 13, 2003 Sunday

N-Level of danger for Americans in Iraq remains high
--July 14, 2003 Monday

N-US soldiers learn they won't be leaving Iraq anytime soon
--July 15, 2003 Tuesday

M-Audio message purportedly from Saddam Hussein calls for holy war on American forces in Iraq
--July 17, 2003 Thursday

N-Low morale among soldiers and their wives as troops are told they will serve in Iraq indefinitely
--July 17, 2003 Thursday

M-Latest on search for Saddam
--July 18, 2003 Friday

N-Another US soldier was killed today in Iraq
--July 19, 2003 Saturday

N-Charges of mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners by US soldiers are brought
--July 19, 2003 Saturday

N-More US military casualties in Iraq
--July 20, 2003 Sunday

N-US forces facing toughening opposition from Iraq's Shiite leaders
--July 20, 2003 Sunday

N-War in Iraq may have made the task of finding Iraq's weapons of mass destruction more difficult
--July 20, 2003 Sunday

N-Iraqis attacking American troops are not always doing so in the name of Saddam
--July 21, 2003 Monday

P-US forces kill Uday and Qusai Hussein in a firefight in Mosul
--July 22, 2003 Tuesday

P-Baghdad reacts to the reported deaths of Uday and Qusai Hussein
--July 22, 2003 Tuesday

P-Photographs of Uday and Qusai Hussein released as proof of their deaths
--July 24, 2003 Thursday

P-US commanders increasingly hopeful they are hot on Saddam's trail
--July 25, 2003 Friday

P-US military invites reporters to view remains of Hussein brothers to prove to the Iraqis they are, indeed, dead
--July 25, 2003 Friday

N-Four more soldiers killed in Iraq
--July 26, 2003 Saturday

P-Many tips on Saddam Hussein's location driven by resentment
--July 26, 2003 Saturday

N-US soldiers still being killed as hunt for Saddam Hussein intensifies
--July 27, 2003 Sunday

P-Audiotape purportedly from Saddam Hussein helps settle the matter of his two sons who were killed last week by US troops
--July 29, 2003 Tuesday

N-Struggle to regain the trust of Iraqis in the rebuilding of their government and country
--July 30, 2003 Wednesday

N-Iraqi witnesses claim an American soldier was killed in an ambush; CENTCOM will not confirm
--July 30, 2003 Wednesday

P-US will pay $30 million in reward money to Iraqi who told US troops of the whereabouts of Saddam's sons; Jordan grants asylum to Saddam's daughters
--July 31, 2003 Thursday

N-Two more American soldiers killed in ambushes in Baghdad
--July 31, 2003 Thursday

N-Injured soldiers are a statistic often overlooked in war
--July 31, 2003 Thursday

N-Saddam Hussein's daughters insist they don't know where their father is
--August 1, 2003 Friday

P-US troops arrest two men in raid in Tikrit
--August 1, 2003 Friday

M-Pentagon releases digitally enhanced photos of what Saddam Hussein might look like now that he's in hiding
--August 1, 2003 Friday

P-Quick payout to informant who turned in Hussein's sons may provide additional inspiration
--August 2, 2003 Saturday

N-American troops settling in for the long haul
--August 3, 2003 Sunday

N-Americans finding stiff resistance even when trying to give Iraqis a police force of their own
--August 4, 2003 Monday

N-US troops dealing with guerrilla-style attacks and pneumonia outbreak in Iraq
--August 5, 2003 Tuesday

N-DNA evidence from Iraqi jail cell does not match that of missing US Navy aviator Michael Scott Speicher
--August 6, 2003 Wednesday

M-Iraqis once starved for information are now flooded with media options
--August 6, 2003 Wednesday

N-Explosion at the Jordanian Embassy in Iraq today may be evidence that an international terror ring is operating inside the country; two more US soldiers killed overnight
--August 7, 2003 Thursday

N-US military's new 'softly, softly' approach to Iraqi citizens seems not to apply to Tikritis
--August 8, 2003 Friday

N-Violence and unrest continues on the streets of Iraq
--August 9, 2003 Saturday

N-Iraqis protest fuel shortages; US soldier dies of heatstroke
--August 10, 2003 Sunday

N-US troops in Iraq may soon face suicide attacks by Muslim radicals, some from outside the country
--August 11, 2003 Monday

N-US forces in Iraq capture two more of the most wanted members of Saddam Hussein's regime
--August 12, 2003 Tuesday

N-Jittery US soldiers kill innocents in Iraq
--August 12, 2003 Tuesday

N-Demonstrators clash with US troops in Iraq and more guerrilla-style attacks on Americans
--August 13, 2003 Wednesday

N-US troops confront large and angry crowd of demonstrators in Baghdad
--August 13, 2003 Wednesday

M-Top US military commander says finding Saddam would help end guerrilla-style attacks on US forces; Shiites pray at site of clash between US troops and Iraqi protesters
--August 15, 2003 Friday

N-Walter Reed Army Medical Center taking care of the soldiers wounded in the war in Iraq
--August 15, 2003 Friday

N-Iraqis overjoyed that Americans are suffering the same electrical problems they are
--August 15, 2003 Friday

N-Another American solider killed in Iraq; Iraqis turning to sabotage
--August 18, 2003 Monday

N-US military apologizes for the killing of a Reuters cameraman
--August 18, 2003 Monday

N-Truck bomb strikes a Baghdad hotel that houses the UN's Iraqi delegation; at least 20 killed
--August 19, 2003 Tuesday

N-Possible motives behind today's truck bomb in Baghdad
--August 19, 2003 Tuesday

N-Possible suspects in today's bombing in Baghdad
--August 19, 2003 Tuesday

P-Iraq's former vice president captured
--August 19, 2003 Tuesday

N-Aftermath of suicide bombing of United Nations headquarters in Baghdad
--August 20, 2003 Wednesday

N-Some United Nations staffers leave Baghdad, though UN will maintain presence in Iraq
--August 20, 2003 Wednesday

N-US military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq have led to resentment, bombings and attacks
--August 20, 2003 Wednesday

P-US military captures Chemical Ali
--August 21, 2003 Thursday

N-US soldier killed in bomb attack in Afghanistan
--August 21, 2003 Thursday

N-Bombing of UN headquarters in Baghdad may have been an inside job,
--August 22, 2003 Friday

N-Two soldiers killed in Iraq in the last 24 hours
--August 22, 2003 Friday

N-Pentagon denies Iraqi group's claim it has captured two American officers
--August 22, 2003 Friday

N-Survivors of the UN bombing remember their fallen comrades
--August 22, 2003 Friday

N-Violence continues in Iraq
--August 23, 2003 Saturday

N-US officials ponder possibility that Saddam loyalists and al-Qaida might join forces
--August 23, 2003 Saturday

M-Report says US intelligence may be trying to recruit former Iraqi spies
--August 24, 2003 Sunday

N-Family of Army Sergeant Steven White, killed this month in Iraq
--August 24, 2003 Sunday

N-UN employees believe their bosses put the mission in Baghdad ahead of their safety once and may do it again
--August 25, 2003 Monday

N-Today marks the deaths of more US soldiers in Iraq since the end of major combat operations than in the war itself
--August 26, 2003 Tuesday

N-America's top cop in Iraq frustrated over slow progress in combating crime on the streets
--August 27, 2003 Wednesday

P-Despite rising death toll, US commander in Iraq says he doesn't need more troops, just better intelligence from Iraqi people
--August 28, 2003 Thursday

N-Car bomb explodes at a mosque in Iraqi holy city of Najaf, killing scores of people, including leading Shiite cleric
--August 29, 2003 Friday

N-Najaf bombing could ignite sectarian violence between Shiite and Sunni Muslims
--August 29, 2003 Friday

N-UN pulling non-essential staff out of Iraq; US casualties in Iraq continue to rise today
--August 29, 2003 Friday

N-FBI to investigate blast in Najaf, Iraq
--August 31, 2003 Sunday

N-Army Specialist Eric Hull, who died earlier this month in Iraq
--August 31, 2003 Sunday

N-Voice on audiotape purported to be Saddam Hussein's denies any involvement in Iraq mosque bombing
--September 1, 2003 Monday

N-Mourning continues in Najaf for cleric killed last Friday
--September 2, 2003 Tuesday

P-Advanced technological capabilities of the 4th Infantry Division
--September 2, 2003 Tuesday

N-RPGs a major cause of wounding of US soldiers in Iraq
--September 3, 2003 Wednesday

P-American forces truly welcomed as liberators in the northern city of Mosul
--September 3, 2003 Wednesday

P-Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez on what he feels are US successes in rebuilding Iraq
--September 4, 2003 Thursday

N-Iraqi group determined to drive Americans out of their country
--September 4, 2003 Thursday

N-Many US reservists in Iraq becoming frustrated over not knowing when they will be able to go home
--September 9, 2003 Tuesday