Are Health Journalists' Practices Tied to Their Perceptions of Audience? An Attribution and Expectancy-Value Approach

Abstract

This study examines a national survey of U.S. health journalists (N = 774) to ascertain how journalists' perceptions of audience use of health news shapes their journalistic practices. We establish a framework through attribution theory and expectancy-value theory for how journalists choose to fulfill their roles as providers of health information. Using these theoretical lenses, we look at whether health journalists' audience orientation is associated with their use of accessibility-oriented or credibility-focused practices. Our findings show that, overall, journalists believe readers are individually responsible for their health outcomes and that journalists focus on providing accessibility-oriented information when they feel their audience's ability to understand information may be compromised. Journalists' beliefs about audience behavior are associated with their attitudes toward communication practices.

Putting a Face on It

“…Further, there appears to be a growing gap between the abstract, complex and technical discourses of medical and health care experts and the feelings, challenges and claims expressed in personal health narratives. Health journalists are recurrently under criticism from the medical community for oversimplifying medical information, as journalistic formats are perceived as undermining scientific requirements for credibility (methodology, rigor, precision and validity) (Hinnant et al, 2012). More specifically, the personal narrative has been criticized for emotionalizing and simplifying mediated health debates at the cost of scientific reason (see Hinnant et al (2013) for in-depth discussion).…”

“…In short, how to make medical and health information more accessible by using human elements, 1 photos or illustrations, info graphics, conversational tone and metaphors, whilst avoiding medical terminology and simplifying complex technical information (see Hinnant et al (2012) for comprehensive discussion) is the problem. For journalists and various stakeholders in the health sector, the personal narrative represents a tool to make socially important issues more interesting for modern audiences through personalization, storytelling, case histories and model histories (Kantola, 2012).…”

“…Related to this, a vital discussion in studies of health journalism concerns the narration of health news -how to balance clarity (making science and medical developments accessible to the broader public) and credibility (without being inaccurate, sensationalist or emotional) (Amend & Secko, 2012;Hinnant & Len-Rios, 2009;Hinnant et al, 2012). In short, how to make medical and health information more accessible by using human elements, 1 photos or illustrations, info graphics, conversational tone and metaphors, whilst avoiding medical terminology and simplifying complex technical information (see Hinnant et al (2012) for comprehensive discussion) is the problem.…”

“…For media organizations, patient narratives thus represent both a potential and a professional responsibility. The use of human exemplars as a narrative tool in health and science journalism has been common, yet contested (Amend & Secko, 2012;Hinnant & Len-Rios, 2009;Hinnant, Len-Rios & Oh, 2012;Karpf, 1988;Morlandstø, 2006;Mullan et al, 2006;Seale, 2002;Tanner, Friedman & Zheng, 2015;Viswanath et al 2008). For health journalists in mainstream news organizations, working with and on patients' personal stories can challenge ethical codes.…”

‘To follow or not to follow?’: How Belgian health journalists use Twitter to monitor potential sources

“…In addition, health news is a crucial source of information for citizens to manage their own health and to participate in the public debate about health issues (Hinnant et al, 2012). Yet research has confirmed the tendency of elite dominance when it comes to health news sources.…”