2011
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0018706
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Quality of Reporting on the Vegetative State in Italian Newspapers. The Case of Eluana Englaro

Abstract: BackgroundMedia coverage of the vegetative state (VS) includes refutations of the VS diagnosis and describes behaviors inconsistent with VS. We used a quality score to assess the reporting in articles describing the medical characteristics of VS in Italian newspapers.Methodology/Principal FindingsOur search covered a 7-month period from July 1, 2008, to February 28, 2009, using the online searchable databases of four major Italian newspapers: Corriere della Sera, La Repubblica, La Stampa, and Avvenire. Medical… Show more

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Cited by 11 publications
(12 citation statements)
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“…Through these two frames, more than one‐third of media discourse is making this an end‐of‐life issue. This evidence confirms previous media analyses (Latronico et al., 2011; Racine et al., 2008). In addition, our analysis deepens the end‐of‐life issue by highlighting its ethical implications.…”
Section: Discussionsupporting
confidence: 92%
“…Through these two frames, more than one‐third of media discourse is making this an end‐of‐life issue. This evidence confirms previous media analyses (Latronico et al., 2011; Racine et al., 2008). In addition, our analysis deepens the end‐of‐life issue by highlighting its ethical implications.…”
Section: Discussionsupporting
confidence: 92%
“…In 1976, her father's application to remove his daughter's ventilator was granted by the New Jersey Supreme Court. However, once removed, Quinlan survived for another 9 years in a vegetative state, drawing to the attention of the public the fact that “VS patients breathe spontaneously” (p. 6) 42. The parallels between this case and Coupland's novel are immediately clear: both patient and fictional counterpart enter coma after ingesting a cocktail of alcohol and Valium; both were in the habit of taking prescription drugs as part of an extreme dietary regime; both enter coma, and shortly thereafter, a prolonged vegetative state, maintaining and sustaining autonomous aspiration; the full name of Coupland's character is Karen Ann McNeil, the fictional equivalent of Karen Ann Quinlan.…”
Section: Girlfriend In A… Coma?mentioning
confidence: 99%
“…A staple device in fiction (films, TV drama and novels) is to have this patient deliver a coherent monologue (implying a fully functioning consciousness beneath the cloak of unconsciousness) and/or to suddenly ‘wake up’ – often with few outstanding neurological problems except perhaps some memory loss convenient to the plot ( Kitzinger & Kitzinger 2012 ). The factual news media often promote similar images and stories – sometimes presenting scientific inaccuracies and confusing use of terminology ( Bernat 2008 ; Latronico et al 2011 ; Racine et al 2008 ) and giving high profile coverage to very rare cases of patients who show some recovery long after clinicians had given up hope ( Fins et al 2007 ).…”
Section: What Are the ‘Vegetative’ And The ‘Minimally Conscious’ Statmentioning
confidence: 99%