(Adds dropped word in first para)
LONDON, Sept 8 (Reuters) - News reporting of the global economy has become more positive as data has improved, a study showed on Tuesday, although coverage of earnings remains downbeat even though results have been better.
Absolute Strategy Research (ASR), an independent financial consultancy, said that news stories it tracked in August were pointing to a revival in economic activity in line with positive data.
When it came to earnings, however, there was a sharp divergence between more positive analysts' earning revisions as measured by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S and the negative tone of what was being reported.
Corporate earnings generally surprised on the positive side during the latest reporting session, particularly in the United States.
ASR conducts a monthly analysis of newsflow, taken from some 10,000 outlets, and compares its tone with such things as corporate earnings and revenue reports, inflation and monetary conditions.