United Kingdom newsprint media reporting on sexual health and blood-borne viruses in 2010

Abstract

Abstract. Background: Improving sexual health and blood-borne virus (BBV) outcomes continue to be of high priority within the United Kingdom (UK) and it is evident that the media can and do impact the public health agenda. This paper presents the first large-scale exploration of UK national newsprint media representations of sexual health and BBVs. Methods: Using keyword searches in electronic databases, 677 articles published during 2010 were identified from 12 national (UK-wide and Scottish) newspapers. Content analysis was used to identify manifest content and to examine the tone of articles. Results: Although there was a mixed picture overall in terms of tone, negatively toned articles, which focussed on failures or blame, were common, particularly within HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C, and other sexually transmissible infection coverage (41% were assessed as containing negative content; 46% had negative headlines). Differences were found by newspaper genre, with 'serious' newspaper articles appearing more positive and informative than 'midmarket' newspapers or 'tabloids'. Across the sample, particular individuals, behaviours and risk groups were focussed on, not always accurately, and there was little mention of deprivation and inequalities (9%). A gender imbalance was evident, particularly within reproductive health articles (71% focussed on women; 23% on men), raising questions concerning gender stereotyping. Conclusions: There is a need to challenge the role that media messages have in the reinforcement of a negative culture around sexual health in the UK and for a strong collective advocacy voice to ensure that future media coverage is positively portrayed.

Double-standards in reporting of risk and responsibility for sexual health: a qualitative content analysis of negatively toned UK newsprint articles

“…Indeed these findings resonate with our previous paper, which provided an overview of UK Press reporting on sexual health and BBV topics in 2010 [26]. One issue that was highlighted from this earlier analysis warranting further investigation was in relation to a gender imbalance in news reporting about sexual health (for example, 71% of reproductive health articles focused on women and only 23% contained any mention of men) [26]. This current paper offers an in-depth, qualitative analysis of negatively toned UK newsprint articles reporting of sexual health topics to examine how risk and responsibility have been framed within these in relation to gender.…”

“…pregnancy), such messages may act to reinforce harmful behaviours and attitudes amongst men and women. Indeed these findings resonate with our previous paper, which provided an overview of UK Press reporting on sexual health and BBV topics in 2010 [26]. One issue that was highlighted from this earlier analysis warranting further investigation was in relation to a gender imbalance in news reporting about sexual health (for example, 71% of reproductive health articles focused on women and only 23% contained any mention of men) [26].…”

The stigmatisation of abortion: a qualitative analysis of print media in Great Britain in 2010

“…Constructions of ‘appropriate’ timing of motherhood, and critical portrayals of older mothers in the British media have also been highlighted: Shaw and Giles ( 2009 ) suggest that negative language (labelling older mothers ‘irresponsible and selfish’) undermines the empowerment women might otherwise experience regarding reproductive ‘choice’. Despite the pronounced heteronormativity of the articles Shaw and Giles analysed, men were apportioned little responsibility for reproductive matters, a finding echoed in our own research (Martin, Hilton, and McDaid 2013 ).…”

“…This parallels earlier research on both abortion stigma and media representations of women's reproductive decisions (Brown and Ferree 2005 ; Norris et al 2011 ), and is an evaluation which is not applied to men. References to the part played by men in reproductive decisions were almost entirely absent from the media representations we analysed, which implies that the responsibility for reproductive decisions lies almost exclusively with women (see Martin, Hilton, and McDaid 2013 ). However, references to women were made largely without giving the women concerned an active voice, which is suggestive of the broader effacement of women from the reproductive process by patriarchal institutions (Ginsberg and Rapp 1995 ).…”

“…Articles were identified using the electronic databases Nexis UK and Newsbank (for The Sun , The Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday ) for the time period 1 January to 1 December 2010. Broad search terms (e.g., sexual and health, abortion, termination, STI, safe and sex, teenage and pregnancy) were used to ensure a wide range of articles could be assessed for inclusion as part of a broader study of representations of sexual health issues in the British print media in 2010 (Martin, Hilton, and McDaid 2013 ). All articles were read by the first author (CP) to determine whether they met two inclusion criteria: that abortion was the main focus of the article, and that the article addressed the British context (since the study aimed to identify Britain-specific issues).…”