Our media coverage chart speaks volumes this week. Actually it speaks about volume every week but you know what we mean. Kevin Rudd zips right back to the top following three years hanging around fourth or fifth place, while Gillard begins her descent. And make no mistake, K-Rudd’s staggering raw total of over 100,000 mentions is the biggest we’ve ever seen in a one week period.

What’s more, for the first and quite probably the last time in our media measurement memory banks, in third place you’ll notice that Tony Abbott is the only Coalition member represented in our top 20. This reflects the volume of coverage given to the ALP leadership coup, the subsequent fallout and cabinet announcements, and to a lesser extent the Coalition’s plan throughout the challenge to sit back and hope Labor would tear itself apart. Look closely and you’ll also note that Penny Wong is the only other woman on this list — it doesn’t explain everything, it doesn’t explain nothing …

Others soon to travel south on our chart include a number of Labor stalwarts: Wayne Swan, Greg Combet, Peter Garrett, Craig Emerson and Stephen Conroy, who exit stage left, unlike Rudd naysayer Tony Burke, who continues to serve in cabinet. While riding up the charts with a healthy dose of Ruddmentum (thanks Twitter), we have fallen-rising-stars Chris Bowen and Kim Carr (both have books on the way, will they need a re-edit?) with Simon Crean not repaid in quite the same way.

Crikey Political Index: June 27 to July 3

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Rudd loyalist Ed Husic was the recipient of talkback vitriol, after swearing on the Koran at his swearing-in.

Talkback top five

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Gargantuan social media volume for K-Rudd.

Social media top five

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Tomic was our last hope at Wimbledon but couldn’t get past Tomas Berdych in the fourth round.

Comparisons on media mentions

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