scholarly journals Evaluation of Volume of News Reporting and Opioid-Related Deaths in the United States: Comparative Analysis Study of Geographic and Socioeconomic Differences (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yulin Hswen ◽  
Amanda Zhang ◽  
Clark Freifeld ◽  
John S Brownstein
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
News Media ◽  
Regional Variation ◽  
Death Rate ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
The United States ◽  
County Level ◽  
Opioid Epidemic ◽  
News Reporting ◽  
News Reports

BACKGROUND News media coverage is a powerful influence on public attitude and government action. The digitization of news media covering the current opioid epidemic has changed the landscape of coverage and may have implications for how to effectively respond to the opioid crisis. OBJECTIVE This study aims to characterize the relationship between volume of online opioid news reporting and opioid-related deaths in the United States and how these measures differ across geographic and socioeconomic county-level factors. METHODS Online news reports from February 2018 to April 2019 on opioid-related events in the United States were extracted from Google News. News data were aggregated at the county level and compared against opioid-related death counts. Ordinary least squares regression was used to model opioid-related death rate and opioid news coverage with the inclusion of socioeconomic and geographic explanatory variables. RESULTS A total of 35,758 relevant news reports were collected representing 1789 counties. Regression analysis revealed that opioid-related death rate was positively associated with news reporting. However, opioid-related death rate and news reporting volume showed opposite correlations with educational attainment and rurality. When controlling for variation in death rate, counties in the Northeast were overrepresented by news coverage. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that regional variation in the volume of opioid-related news reporting does not reflect regional variation in opioid-related death rate. Differences in the amount of media attention may influence perceptions of the severity of opioid epidemic. Future studies should investigate the influence of media reporting on public support and action on opioid issues.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Volume of News Reporting and Opioid-Related Deaths in the United States: Comparative Analysis Study of Geographic and Socioeconomic Differences

10.2196/17693 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. e17693
Author(s):  
Yulin Hswen ◽  
Amanda Zhang ◽  
Clark Freifeld ◽  
John S Brownstein
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
News Media ◽  
Regional Variation ◽  
Death Rate ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
The United States ◽  
County Level ◽  
Opioid Epidemic ◽  
News Reporting ◽  
News Reports

Background News media coverage is a powerful influence on public attitude and government action. The digitization of news media covering the current opioid epidemic has changed the landscape of coverage and may have implications for how to effectively respond to the opioid crisis. Objective This study aims to characterize the relationship between volume of online opioid news reporting and opioid-related deaths in the United States and how these measures differ across geographic and socioeconomic county-level factors. Methods Online news reports from February 2018 to April 2019 on opioid-related events in the United States were extracted from Google News. News data were aggregated at the county level and compared against opioid-related death counts. Ordinary least squares regression was used to model opioid-related death rate and opioid news coverage with the inclusion of socioeconomic and geographic explanatory variables. Results A total of 35,758 relevant news reports were collected representing 1789 counties. Regression analysis revealed that opioid-related death rate was positively associated with news reporting. However, opioid-related death rate and news reporting volume showed opposite correlations with educational attainment and rurality. When controlling for variation in death rate, counties in the Northeast were overrepresented by news coverage. Conclusions Our results suggest that regional variation in the volume of opioid-related news reporting does not reflect regional variation in opioid-related death rate. Differences in the amount of media attention may influence perceptions of the severity of opioid epidemic. Future studies should investigate the influence of media reporting on public support and action on opioid issues.

The Opioid Epidemic and Homicide in the United States

2021 ◽  
pp. 002242782098684
Author(s):  
Richard Rosenfeld ◽  
Joel Wallman ◽  
Randolph Roth
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Death Rate ◽  
The United States ◽  
Opioid Epidemic ◽  
Drug Markets ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Homicide Rates ◽  
Overdose Death ◽  
Sectional Analysis ◽  
The Relationship

Objectives: Evaluate the relationship between the opioid epidemic and homicide rates in the United States. Methods: A county-level cross-sectional analysis covering the period 1999 to 2015. The race-specific homicide rate and the race-specific opioid-related overdose death rate are regressed on demographic, social, and economic covariates. Results: The race-specific opioid-related overdose death rate is positively associated with race-specific homicide rates, net of controls. The results are generally robust across alternative samples and model specifications. Conclusions: We interpret the results as reflecting the violent dynamics of street drug markets, although more research is needed to draw definitive conclusions about the mechanisms linking opioid demand and homicide.

scholarly journals Exposure to air pollution and COVID-19 mortality in the United States: A nationwide cross-sectional study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao Wu ◽  
Rachel C Nethery ◽  
M Benjamin Sabath ◽  
Danielle Braun ◽  
Francesca Dominici
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Death Rate ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
List Type ◽  
County Level ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Increased Risk

AbstractObjectivesUnited States government scientists estimate that COVID-19 may kill tens of thousands of Americans. Many of the pre-existing conditions that increase the risk of death in those with COVID-19 are the same diseases that are affected by long-term exposure to air pollution. We investigated whether long-term average exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is associated with an increased risk of COVID-19 death in the United States.DesignA nationwide, cross-sectional study using county-level data.Data sourcesCOVID-19 death counts were collected for more than 3,000 counties in the United States (representing 98% of the population) up to April 22, 2020 from Johns Hopkins University, Center for Systems Science and Engineering Coronavirus Resource Center.Main outcome measuresWe fit negative binomial mixed models using county-level COVID-19 deaths as the outcome and county-level long-term average of PM2.5 as the exposure. In the main analysis, we adjusted by 20 potential confounding factors including population size, age distribution, population density, time since the beginning of the outbreak, time since state’s issuance of stay-at-home order, hospital beds, number of individuals tested, weather, and socioeconomic and behavioral variables such as obesity and smoking. We included a random intercept by state to account for potential correlation in counties within the same state. We conducted more than 68 additional sensitivity analyses.ResultsWe found that an increase of only 1 μg/m3 in PM2.5 is associated with an 8% increase in the COVID-19 death rate (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2%, 15%). The results were statistically significant and robust to secondary and sensitivity analyses.ConclusionsA small increase in long-term exposure to PM2.5 leads to a large increase in the COVID-19 death rate. Despite the inherent limitations of the ecological study design, our results underscore the importance of continuing to enforce existing air pollution regulations to protect human health both during and after the COVID-19 crisis. The data and code are publicly available so our analyses can be updated routinely.Summary BoxWhat is already known on this topicLong-term exposure to PM2.5 is linked to many of the comorbidities that have been associated with poor prognosis and death in COVID-19 patients, including cardiovascular and lung disease.PM2.5 exposure is associated with increased risk of severe outcomes in patients with certain infectious respiratory diseases, including influenza, pneumonia, and SARS.Air pollution exposure is known to cause inflammation and cellular damage, and evidence suggests that it may suppress early immune response to infection.What this study addsThis is the first nationwide study of the relationship between historical exposure to air pollution exposure and COVID-19 death rate, relying on data from more than 3,000 counties in the United States. The results suggest that long-term exposure to PM2.5 is associated with higher COVID-19 mortality rates, after adjustment for a wide range of socioeconomic, demographic, weather, behavioral, epidemic stage, and healthcare-related confounders.This study relies entirely on publicly available data and fully reproducible, public code to facilitate continued investigation of these relationships by the broader scientific community as the COVID-19 outbreak evolves and more data become available.A small increase in long-term PM2.5 exposure was associated with a substantial increase in the county’s COVID-19 mortality rate up to April 22, 2020.

scholarly journals Idiulūjiyyah wasāʼil al-iʽlām al-jamāhīriyyah al-Indūnisiyyah ʽibar al-internet fi naql akhbār aş-şirāʽ as-siyāsī fī asy-syarq al-awsaţ

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-165
Author(s):  
Yufni Faisol ◽  
Syofyan Hadi ◽  
Reflinaldi Reflinaldi
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Mass Media ◽  
The United States ◽  
Online News ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
News Reporting ◽  
News Reports ◽  
Qualitative Descriptive ◽  
Conflict Information

This study aims to explore the forms of information reproduction in online mass media, with specific issues on Middle East conflicts. The present study adopts a qualitative descriptive model. The data were collected from the news reports on the Syrian conflicts by some leading online news platforms such as Republika, Kompas and Tempo. The data were taken from January to October 2018 and were analyzed using the qualitative analysis stages of the Miles and Huberman model. The research findings indicate that each mass media has differences in reproducing Middle East conflict information, in terms of their data source and point of view of news reporting. Republika tends to take the opposition's point of view to the Syrian government so that it puts the United States and its allies as its main subject. On the contrary, Kompas departed from the point of view of sympathy for the Syrian government and its allies, jeopardizing the United States and its allies in reporting. The third media, Tempo, takes the point of view of narrating events chronologically and focuses a lot on humanitarian issues in the news they deliver.

Polarization and partisanship: Key drivers of distrust in media old and new?

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 484-501
Author(s):  
Jane Suiter ◽  
Richard Fletcher
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Multilevel Analysis ◽  
News Media ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
The United States ◽  
Media System ◽  
Political Environments ◽  
Key Drivers ◽  
The Relationship

Some worry that increased partisanship is lowering trust in the news media, as people increasingly come into contact with cross-cutting news coverage. We use multilevel analysis of online survey data from 35 countries and find that left-right partisans (1) have slightly less trust in the news media in general, (2) slightly higher levels of trust in the news they consume and (3) perceive a larger ‘trust gap’ between the news they use and the rest of the news available within their country. However, we do not find evidence to support the idea that people in more politically polarized countries have less trust in the news, or that the association between partisanship and trust is strengthened in polarized political environments. Although in most cases the relationship between partisanship and trust is weak, it is noticeably stronger in the United States. However, the United States is home to a unique media system, and our analysis highlights the problems of assuming that the processes at work in one relatively well-understood country are playing out in the same way globally.

Introduction

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Martha Minow
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
News Media ◽  
The United States ◽  
News Reporting ◽  
For Profit ◽  
The Press ◽  
Production And Distribution ◽  
Government Involvement ◽  
The Government ◽  
Historical Developments

As traditional for-profit news media in the United States decline in economic viability and sheer numbers of outlets and staff, what does and what should the constitutional guarantee of freedom of the press mean? The book examines the current news ecosystem in the United States and chronicles historical developments in government involvement in shaping the industry. It argues that initiatives by the government and by private sector actors are not only permitted but called for as transformations in technology, economics, and communications jeopardize the production and distribution of and trust in news and the very existence of local news reporting. It presents twelve proposals for change to help preserve the free press essential to our democratic society.

Myths, Mysteries, and Monsters: When Shaken Babies Make the News

2009 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 25-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi J. Hennink-Kaminski ◽  
Elizabeth K. Dougall
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
News Media ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
Shaken Baby Syndrome ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Public Health Approach ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
News Reports

As the predominant cause of infant head injury that often results in death or long-term disability, Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) is both a criminal act and a public health concern. This article reports the findings of a qualitative content analysis of SBS-related news coverage from 1996 to 2007, exploring how broadcast and print news media categorize, frame, and source stories about SBS. This study reveals that while the legitimacy of SBS is widely acknowledged by child abuse experts in the United States, news reports typically frame SBS as a questionable diagnosis, the perpetrators as monsters, and the act of abuse unpreventable. Further, thematic health coverage appeared least frequently of all story types, reflecting a criminal justice rather than public health approach to reporting about SBS. These findings have several implications for crafting the media campaign strategy for The Period of PURPLE Crying: Keeping Babies Safe in North Carolina.

Warriors of Word and Sword

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 334-367
Author(s):  
Nicholas Evan Sarantakes
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
News Media ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
The United States ◽  
World War ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Media ◽  
Battle Of Okinawa ◽  
Armed Services ◽  
Probing Questions

The Battle of Okinawa was the last major ground battle of World War ii. The Tenth u.s. Army that invaded this small piece of Japan was a unique force composed of units from the u.s. Army and others from the u.s. Marine Corps. Much historical literature has focused on the different approaches to ground combat of the two armed services, but they also employed very different policies towards support of the news media. The u.s. Marines were much more supportive than the u.s. Army. The two different policies and styles of news coverage that reporters employed led to coverage favoring the u.s. Marines. Reporting suggested that u.s. Marine procedures were less costly in lives and created enormous concern in the United States about casualty rates, motivating President Harry S. Truman to hold an Oval Office meeting to re-think strategy in the Pacific theater. It would be wrong, though, to argue that the media altered the course of the war. Truman asked hard probing questions about the direction of the war, but General of the Army George C. Marshall acted to ensure that the United States stayed on its current strategic path.

What determines international disaster coverage in the US news media?

Journalism ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (12) ◽  
pp. 1593-1610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongick Jeong ◽  
Sun Young Lee
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Gross Domestic Product ◽  
News Media ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
The United States ◽  
Political Rights ◽  
Trade Relations ◽  
The Us ◽  
Financial Losses ◽  
Over Time

This study examined the influence of a variety of factors on the news coverage of international disasters occurring between 1 January 1996 and 31 December 2013 in 10 representative US news outlets over a 4-week period. The results showed that the severity of a disaster, as measured by death toll and financial losses, was the most consistent and significant factor influencing international disaster coverage in the US news media. Various geopolitical factors, such as trade relations with the United States, distance from the United States, gross domestic product, military expenditure, and political rights, also came into play, but the effects of these varied over time.

Postracial Justice and the Trope of the “Race Riot”

2020 ◽  
pp. 757-774
Author(s):  
Jennifer Heusel
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
News Media ◽  
White Supremacy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Racial Violence ◽  
People Of Color ◽  
Law And Order ◽  
Race Riot ◽  
Rhetorical Strategy ◽  
News Reports

This chapter examines the trope of “race riot” as a rhetorical strategy in news media that disciplines race-conscious protest. Adopting a rhetorical genealogy inspired by Michel Foucault, the analysis reads together the news reports about the 1906 riots in Atlanta, Georgia and the 2014 unrest in Ferguson, Missouri. The century dividing these two events may seem too distant, but is necessary in order to identify the legacies of state-sponsored white supremacy that continue to shape expressions of “justice” in the United States. Although white supremacy is generally understood as no longer relevant, racial violence against people of color remains legitimate while exercised by those enforcing law and order. Attention on two racial-antagonistic events divided by a century can assist in highlighting the discursive legacies of state-sponsored white supremacy. The chapter concludes with contemplation on postracial justice, or the expression of justice that is assumed to be beyond the influence of race.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document