Does the Tone and Content of Media Coverage of Mental Illness Vary by Disorder? A Comparison of Reporting Patterns of Different Mental Disorders in Canadian News Media
Publication: Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
23 November 2022
Abstract
This study compares the coverage of different mental illnesses in the Canadian news media over a 3-month sample period. Articles were coded for tone and content characteristics, and variations across mental illness categories were assessed with frequency counts and chi-squared tests. Articles about common mental disorders (depression/anxiety) showed more positive elements than those about severe mental illness (bipolar/schizophrenia). Many articles also focused on PTSD, with mixed coverage. Future educational efforts with journalists should particularly focus on improving coverage of more severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and PTSD.
Résumé
Cette étude compare la représentation des maladies mentales dans les journaux canadiens au cours d’un échantillon de trois mois, selon le contenu et le ton. Les variations entre différentes catégories de maladies mentales ont été évaluées par fréquences et tests de chi-carré. Les articles sur les troubles mentaux courants (dépression/anxiété) présentaient plus d’éléments positifs que ceux sur les maladies mentales graves (bipolarité/schizophrénie). De nombreux articles ont également porté sur le SSPT, avec une couverture mixte. Les futurs efforts éducatifs auprès des journalistes devraient se concentrer sur les maladies mentales graves telles que la schizophrénie, le trouble bipolaire et le SSPT.
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Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
Volume 41 • Number 2 • April 2022
Pages: 17 - 24
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Version of record online: 23 November 2022
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Lara Antebi and Rob Whitley. 2022. Does the Tone and Content of Media Coverage of Mental Illness Vary by Disorder? A Comparison of Reporting Patterns of Different Mental Disorders in Canadian News Media. Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health.
41(2): 17-24. https://doi.org/10.7870/cjcmh-2022-012
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