Media response to colon cancer campaigns in Switzerland 2005-2007: regional newspapers are the most reliable among the printed media

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Health campaigns are frequently covered by printed media, but coverage is not homogeneous across different types of newspapers. Switzerland as a multilinguistic country with many newspapers offers a good field for study. A better understanding of how printed media report on national campaigns against colon cancer in the three main linguistic regions may help to improve future public health interventions. Therefore, we analyzed articles published between 2005 and 2007 during the campaigns "<it>Darmkrebs-nie</it>?" and "<it>Self-Care</it>" in the German, French and Italian regions of Switzerland.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>Some 65% of articles reporting on colon cancer were in German, 23% and 12% were in French and Italian respectively. During the campaign, topics linked to colon cancer were increasingly covered by the media. Regional newspapers (66%) reported significantly more about colon cancer and produced the most detailed articles.</p> <p>Both gain- and loss-framed messages have been used by journalists, whereas the campaigns used merely gain-framed messages. Latin (French and Italian) newspapers mixed gain- and loss-framed messages in the same articles, while German articles mainly used a single frame throughout.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Swiss-German papers reported more about the topic and the reporting was quantitatively and qualitatively more prominent in regional papers. The press followed the campaigns closely only during the period of campaigning, with high coverage. We propose to consider the regional press as an important vehicle of health information. Moreover, slight differences in framing can be observed between German and Latin articles.</p

Epidemia e mídia: sentidos construídos em narrativas jornalísticas Epidemic and media: meanings constructed in journalistic narratives

O objetivo deste estudo é analisar a construção de sentidos em narrativas jornalísticas sobre problemas de saúde relevantes, como são as epidemias. O estudo focaliza a cobertura realizada por quatro jornais de Salvador, Bahia-Brasil, a uma epidemia de leucopenia por exposição ocupacional ao benzeno, ocorrida no Pólo Petroquímico de Camaçari-Ba, Brasil, nos anos de 1990 e 1991. A análise da ampla cobertura e diversidade das abordagens jornalísticas permite refletir sobre o papel da media no crescimento da consciência crítica da sociedade na proteção da saúde de coletividades. Analisa-se a narrativa construída pela articulação das 217 notícias publicadas sobre o tema ao longo de dezoito meses, com base na Teoria da Interpretação de Paul Ricoeur. A referência para a análise é a interpretação técnico-científica do evento, reconstituída através de análise documental e de entrevistas realizadas com pesquisadores, profissionais de saúde e de segurança do trabalho envolvidos com as ações de diagnóstico e controle da situação e proteção da saúde dos trabalhadores na ocasião da epidemia. Mediante diferentes níveis de análise, foram identificados quatro distintos sentidos da epidemia produzidos pelos diferentes jornais. Os argumentos que sustentaram os sentidos são descritos e analisados como meio de validar as hipóteses formuladas inicialmente, enquanto conjecturas na análise do discurso das narrativas, a partir da interpretação das posturas e movimentos dos jornalistas na busca da notícia. Os resultados são discutidos, considerando-se os discursos sociais correntes que fundamentam e informam os sentidos. Reflete-se também acerca dos limites e possibilidades das agências de notícias na comunicação de informações que contribuam para a promoção e proteção da saúde em situações de conflito, como são as epidemias, quando as populações afetadas anseiam por informação.<br>The aim this research is to analyze the meanings constructed in journalistic narratives over relevant public health problems, are epidemic event. The study focuses on the coverage made by four journals of Salvador, Bahia-Brasil, over un epidemic of leucopoenia due to occupational exposure to benzene, that occurred at Petrochemical Polo of Camaçari-Ba, Brasil, during 1990 e 1991. The study of the extensive and diverse approaches of the journals allows the reflection about the role of media for the growth of society critical conscience, in order to protect health in collectivities. It is analyzed the narrative constructed by the articulation of 217 news about the theme, published during 18 months, oriented by Paul Ricoeur's Theory of Interpretation. The reference for the analysis is the technical and scientific interpretation for the event, reconstituted by the documental analysis and interviews with researchers and health and safety professionals who were involved in the activities for the diagnosis and control of the epidemic. Through different levels of analysis, there were identified four distinct meanings for the epidemic, produced by the journals. The arguments that supported the meanings are described and analyzed as a way for the validation of the hypotheses formulated as conjectures in the discourse analysis of the narratives by interpreting the postures and movements of journalists to find out news events.. The results are discussed considering the current social discourse that supports and informs the meanings, and also the limits and possibilities of the news agency for the communication of relevant information for health promotion and protection, in so conflictive situation as the epidemics, when populations affected are hopeful for information