Black maternal mortality in the media: How journalists cover a deadly racial disparity

Journalism ◽  
2022 ◽  
pp. 146488492110633
Author(s):  
Denetra Walker ◽  
Kelli Boling

Through semi-structured interviews with four women news journalists, this study explores how journalists who specialize in women’s issues and health cover Black maternal mortality. Discussions include the role of advocacy in journalism and the struggle of covering the complex, long-standing systemic issue of maternal mortality associated with race in American society. Six themes consider the inclusion of race in healthcare coverage, a need for in-depth, nuanced coverage, the role of advocacy in journalism, complications of reporting on race, the importance of citing sources of color, and celebrity influence. Findings show the need for media advocacy in public health crises, and how journalistic norms can pressure journalists into citing inappropriate sources or diluting the story.

2010 ◽  
pp. 67-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart Basten

Much research has been conducted in the field of utilising the media - television and radio in particular - to promote particular public health messages. However, a burgeoning canon has examined how mass media can play a role in affecting change in fertility preferences and outcomes. In this paper we review these researches which have primarily focussed upon higher fertility settings. The impact of mass media presentation of families and children in low fertility settings has not yet been subject to rigorous sociological investigation so its impact can not be accurately inferred. However, given the pervasive nature of mass media and celebrity culture, we suggest that this is an important avenue for future research. We conclude that television plays a multi-faceted role in shaping individuals decision-making procedures concerning both demographic events and public health interactions. To illustrate this, we present a model which demonstrates a sliding scale of intent - but not impact - of various genres in order to understand the actual role of the media in shaping attitudes towards family size - either explicitly in terms of edutainment or implicitly as a forms of normalization.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela J. Tinc ◽  
Julie A. Sorensen ◽  
Lars Weinehall ◽  
Kristina Lindvall

Abstract Background Media advocacy plays an important role in public health initiatives, as it can provide vital information to target populations, policy makers, or other relevant stakeholders. Unfortunately, little is currently known about the use of media advocacy to promote occupational safety and health programs. This study explores media coverage related to the Rollover Protection Structure (ROPS) Rebate Programs, which were designed to encourage the use of rollover protection on agricultural tractors, thus reducing the risk of tractor overturn fatalities. The Program’s portrayal in the media, as well as the role that the media has played in implementing and sustaining these Programs. Methods Media articles pertaining to any of the state-based or National ROPS Rebate Programs and published between November 1, 2006 and October 31, 2018 were included for review. Discourse analysis was used to understand the messages portrayed by the media and how those messages shaped the outcomes of the ROPS Rebate Programs. Results During the study period, 212 unique articles were published about the ROPS Rebate Programs. While these articles all portrayed the ROPS Rebate Programs in a largely positive light, they were used at different stages, from pre-implementation through sustainment of the ROPS Rebate Programs, and to different extents. Conclusions Media articles have played an important role in implementing and sustaining the ROPS Rebate Programs. Based on the results of this study, more robust and continuous media coverage are important for the longevity and success of public health programs.


2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison R. Heid ◽  
Seran Schug ◽  
Francine P. Cartwright ◽  
Rachel Pruchno

AbstractObjectiveIndividuals exposed to natural disasters are at risk for negative physical and psychological outcomes. Older adults may be particularly vulnerable; however, social support can act as a resource to help individuals respond to severe stressors. This study explored the challenges older people faced before, during, and after Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 and the people they turned to for support.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 older adults in New Jersey drawn from the ORANJ BOWL (Ongoing Research on Aging in New Jersey – Bettering Opportunities for Wellness in Life) research panel, who experienced high levels of primary home damage during Hurricane Sandy. Content analysis of interview transcripts classified older adults’ perceptions on how they “made it” through—the challenges they faced and the support they received.ResultsThe findings suggested that older adults experienced emotional, instrumental, social, and financial challenges before, during, and after the storm. However, by relying on family and friends, as well as neighbors and community networks, older people were able to respond to stressors.ConclusionsOur findings carry implications for ensuring that older adults are connected to social networks before, during, and after disasters. The role of neighbors is particularly important when disasters strike. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:39–47)


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 90
Author(s):  
I Gusti Agus Wiranata ◽  
I Gusti Ngurah Sudiana ◽  
I Ketut Sudarsana

<p><em>Technological developments bring about major changes to communication patterns, including in the world of education. Compared to before, now students consisting of generation Z are more interested in delivering dynamic materials that can be accessed from anywhere. Responding to these challenges, the Hindu-based Dwijendra Denpasar High School (SMA) seeks to optimize the distribution of religious messages through the use of communication media. This study aims to analyze how far the communication media can play a role in improving students' sraddha bhakti. Researchers used three theories, namely Agenda Setting, Mathematical Communication, and Constructivism. This type of research is qualitative descriptive with a sociological approach. The research subjects were the school as communicators and students as communicants. Methods of data collection through participatory observation, structured interviews, document studies, literature studies, and online searches. The results showed that communication media consisting of Dwijendra Community Radio, audio-visual media, and Learning Management System (LMS) had an important role in the distribution of information related to sraddha bhakti. The media has advantages in terms of effectiveness, efficiency, concrete, and motivation. Barriers that arise in the role of communication media consist of technical barriers which include facilities and infrastructure, semantic barriers that include message content, and human barriers that arise from communication actors. The strategies applied by the school to improve the role of communication media include mapping problems, taking action on obstacles that occur, and optimizing the role of communication media using redundancy, canalizing, informative, educational, coercive, and persuasive methods. The evaluation shows that the role of communication media has positive implications for increasing students' knowledge, skills, and attitudes of Sraddha Bhakti.</em></p>


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0254127
Author(s):  
Sara Kazemian ◽  
Sam Fuller ◽  
Carlos Algara

Pundits and academics across disciplines note that the human toll brought forth by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the United States (U.S.) is fundamentally unequal for communities of color. Standing literature on public health posits that one of the chief predictors of racial disparity in health outcomes is a lack of institutional trust among minority communities. Furthermore, in our own county-level analysis from the U.S., we find that counties with higher percentages of Black and Hispanic residents have had vastly higher cumulative deaths from COVID-19. In light of this standing literature and our own analysis, it is critical to better understand how to mitigate or prevent these unequal outcomes for any future pandemic or public health emergency. Therefore, we assess the claim that raising institutional trust, primarily scientific trust, is key to mitigating these racial inequities. Leveraging a new, pre-pandemic measure of scientific trust, we find that trust in science, unlike trust in politicians or the media, significantly raises support for COVID-19 social distancing policies across racial lines. Our findings suggest that increasing scientific trust is essential to garnering support for public health policies that lessen the severity of the current, and potentially a future, pandemic.


Baltic Region ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-182
Author(s):  
Aleksandr V. Shchekoturov ◽  
Mihail I. Krishtal ◽  
Elena P. Zimovina

The article explores the role of the image of a region created in mass media in the formation of migration attitudes. Attention is drawn to the Kaliningrad region — a Russian exclave, whose population growth is solely due to migration. The purpose of the article is to determine the significance of the key media images of the Kaliningrad region in the decision-making process on the immigration of millennials and the reform generation (Radaev's concept of generations). Publications about the Kaliningrad Region in Russian media (2014—2018) (N =1,913) and semi-structured interviews (N =44) formed the empirical basis of the study. The main research methods are the analysis of publications and in-depth interviews with their subsequent processing using the Atlas.ti software. Five images of the Kaliningrad region constantly present in the Russian information space were identified: a region of international cooperation, a military outpost, an economically and touristically attractive region, and a region with a developing infrastructure. The most significant intergenerational differences were identified in relation to the Kaliningrad region as a military outpost and an economically attractive region. Compared with millennials, the reform generation is more inclined to perceive a military threat from other countries, therefore the security issue was a significant factor when deciding to relocate. Millennials showed greater awareness of what constitutes the image of an economically attractive region. It is concluded that the differences between millennials and the reform generation in assessing the significance of the media images of the Kaliningrad region are largely due to the specifics of migration motives. For millennials, the priority is employment opportunities and career growth whilst for the reform generation, it is finding a comfortable place to live in old age.


2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (1and2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dr. G. K. Sahu ◽  
Shah Alam

We are living in a mediated world where every aspect of human life is getting affected by images of media. Consciously or unconsciously, knowingly or unknowingly our attitudes, values and belief systems are getting increasingly influenced by media. Some media critics expressed serious concern over the influence of the media in our everyday life. In the contemporary media saturated world, the agenda of the media becoming the public agenda. It is in this context, the news media play an important role in shaping public opinion and creating consciousness on different issues. Keeping in view of the importance of the news media in the contemporary society, the paper makes an attempt to ascertain the agenda setting role of the press towards women’s issues. For the purpose two mainstream dailies- one from the English and the other from the Urdu language newspapers purposively taken and their contents related to women’s issues have been subjected to detailed analysis.


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