Visualising legitimacy: An analysis of medicinal cannabis images in Australian news.

This paper reports on a visual framing analysis of Australian online news media images of medicinal cannabis (MC) from 2014 to 2021. It reports on two themes - people and place, and plant and place. The first theme reveals that images of MC users, including children, and familial caregivers were commonly emplaced within quotidian middle-class, suburban, domestic settings, thereby demarcating them from recreational cannabis users. The second theme situated cannabis as a plant in spaces which defined it visually as an agricultural product, pharmaceutical drug, herbal medicine, and less commonly as a recreational drug. This disparate photographic storyline blurred the boundary between recreational and medicinal cannabis.

The depiction of people with schizophrenia in news media: A cross-national analysis.

BACKGROUND: Though people with schizophrenia have been habitually stigmatized in the media, the past two decades have seen a substantial rise in public awareness and anti-stigma intervention plans. AIMS: In this comprehensive cross-national study, we examine the portrayal of people with schizophrenia in the news media across four countries: the U.S., the U.K., Russia, and Israel. METHODS: We employed thematic content analysis to analyze 80 articles from four prominent middle-market and tabloid news media outlets. RESULTS: Findings suggest people with schizophrenia were routinely depicted in the news media as violent and dangerous perpetrators who were typically young adult white males. CONCLUSIONS: Though some differences existed between venues in different countries, this study suggests that despite the rise in public awareness and anti-stigma intervention plans, the media overall - regardless of country origin - mostly failed to deliver the desired anti-stigma results.

Comprehensive dataset of user-submitted articles with ideological and extreme bias from Reddit.

Our study aims to collect data to understand ideological and extreme bias in text articles shared across various online communities, particularly focusing on the language used in subreddits associated with extremism and targeted violence. Initially, we gathered data from related online communities, specifically the r/Liberal and r/Conservative communities on Reddit, utilizing the Reddit Pushshift API to collect URLs shared within these subreddits. Our aim was to gather news, opinion, and feature articles, resulting in a corpus of 226,010 articles. We also curated a balanced subset of 45,108 articles and annotated 4000 articles to validate their relevance, facilitating understanding of language usage within ideological Reddit communities and insights into ideological bias in media content. Expanding beyond binary ideologies, we introduced a new category termed "Restricted" to encompass articles shared in private or banned subreddits. This third category encompasses articles shared in restricted, privatized, quarantined, or banned subreddits characterized by radicalized and extremist ideologies. This expansion yielded a large dataset of 377,144 articles. Additionally, we included articles from subreddits with unspecified ideologies, creating a holdout set of 922,522 articles. In total, our combined dataset of 1.3 million articles collected from 55 different subreddits will assist in examining radicalized communities and providing discourse analysis in associated subreddits, enhancing understanding of the language used in articles shared within radicalized Reddit communities and offering insights into extreme bias in media content. In summary, we collected 1.52 million articles to understand ideological and extreme bias, providing a comprehensive dataset that aids in understanding language usage within text articles posted in ideological and extreme Reddit communities.

Locality-based social media: The impact of content consumption and creation on perceived neighborhood crime, safety, and offline crime prevention.

Locality-based social media (LBSM) allow members of the community to exchange news, connect with local people, and raise awareness of problems such as crime. This study aims to better understand the influence of LBSM on perceptions of community crime, safety, and crime prevention. Drawing on survey data from 1000 Australians, we assess the extent to which frequency of exposure to crime on LBSM and intensity of engagement on LBSM influence perceptions of crime, safety, and offline crime prevention behaviors. LBSM content creators perceive less crime and feel safer compared to individuals who only consume content on LBSM. Creators of content are also more likely than consumers to engage in offline crime prevention action. Our findings highlight the need to encourage more balanced engagement across all members of community social media. Smaller groups that contain only local residents may be best suited to achieve this outcome.

News media consumption and support for counter-terrorism measures: the role of hatred and fear.

Media are a key social agent shaping society's responses to measures implemented in the fight against terrorism. We argue that emotions elicited by media narratives on terrorist attacks are decisive to understand the link between the news media consumption and citizens' support for military intervention in the Middle East, as well as for security measures in the home country. In two studies conducted after the Brussels attacks (N = 250) and the Barcelona attacks (N = 633), we tested the explanatory role of emotions - specifically fear and hatred - in the association between media narratives and these two outcomes. The results of both studies show that hatred explained the positive relationship between news media consumption and support for military intervention, and to a lesser degree, agreement with security measures. In contrast, the positive relationship between news media consumption and agreement with security measures was explained by fear. This research underscores the need to consider how emotions are utilized in media discourse. We discuss practical implications of our findings for promoting ethical journalism.

Critical Gaps in Medical Research Reporting by Online News Media.

BACKGROUND: The integrity of medical research reporting in online news publications is crucial for informed healthcare decisions and public health discourse. However, omissions, lack of transparency, and the rapid spread of misinformation on digital and social media platforms can lead to an incomplete or inaccurate understanding of research findings. This study aims to analyze the fidelity of online news in reporting medical research findings, focusing on conflicts of interest, study limitations, statistical data, and research conclusions. METHODS: Fifty randomized controlled trials published in major medical journals and their corresponding news reports were evaluated for the inclusion of conflicts of interest, study limitations, and inferential statistics in the news reports. The alignment of conclusions was evaluated. A binomial test with a Bonferroni correction was used to assess the inclusion rate of these variables against a 90% threshold. RESULTS: Conflicts of interest were reported in 10 (20%) of news reports, study limitations in 14 (28%), and inferential statistics in 19 (38%). These rates were significantly lower than the 90% threshold (p<0.001). Research conclusions aligned in 43 (86%) cases, which was not significantly different from 90% (p=0.230). Misaligned conclusions resulted from overstating claims. CONCLUSION: Significant gaps exist in the reporting of critical contextual information in medical news articles. Adopting a structured reporting format could enhance the quality and transparency of medical research communication. Collaboration among journalists, news organizations, and medical researchers is crucial for establishing and promoting best practices, fostering informed public discourse, and better health outcomes.

Doomscrolling: Prospective associations between daily COVID news exposure, internalizing symptoms, and substance use among sexual and gender minority individuals assigned female at birth.

Cross-sectional studies have demonstrated associations between COVID news exposure, anxiety, and depression. However, longitudinal research examining the directionality of these associations is extremely limited. Further, most studies have focused on the general population and neglected sexual and gender minority individuals (SGM), a population disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. To address these limitations, the current study utilized data from a 30-day diary study of SGM assigned female at birth (N = 429). We examined concurrent and prospective associations between COVID news exposure, depressed and anxious affect, COVID distress, substance use, and motives for use. Further, we examined associations between cumulative COVID news exposure across the diary period and prospective changes in anxiety, depression, and COVID distress. When participants were exposed to more COVID news, they experienced more depressed and anxious affect, more COVID distress, less positive affect, and were more likely to use alcohol and cannabis to cope. Further, when participants were exposed to more COVID news, they experienced subsequent increases in depressed affect, decreases in positive affect, and increases in the likelihood of using cannabis to cope. Findings also provided evidence of bi-directional prospective associations between COVID news exposure and COVID distress and of a cumulative impact of COVID news exposure on anxiety, depression, and COVID distress. Findings suggest that individuals should balance the need to remain informed about the pandemic and their own mental health when considering how much COVID news to consume.

Framing Later Life Vulnerability during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Content Analysis of Newspaper Coverage in Canada and the United States.

This study explores vulnerability narratives used in relation to older adults and others during the COVID-19 pandemic. A mixed-method content analysis was conducted of 391 articles published in two major newspapers in Canada and the USA during the first wave of the pandemic. The findings indicated that during the early months of the pandemic, limited attention was directed towards its impact on older adults or other 'vulnerable' subpopulations in both countries. Where evident, intrinsic (individual-level) risk factors were most consistently used to frame the vulnerability of older adults. In contrast, vulnerability was more likely to be framed as structural with regard to other subpopulations (e.g., ethno-racial minorities). These narratives also differed somewhat in Canadian and US newspapers. The framing of older adults as intrinsically vulnerable reflects ageist stereotypes and promotes downstream policy interventions. Greater attention is needed to the role of structural factors in influencing pandemic-related outcomes among older adults.

The use of food processing terminology in Australian news media: a content analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine whether ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are being discussed in news media in Australia and whether this terminology, as described in the NOVA system, is being applied accurately. DESIGN: Interpretive content analysis of online and print media articles that mentioned UPFs from 2009 to 2023 in Australia. SETTING: Australia. PARTICIPANTS: Online and print media articles. RESULTS: A total of two hundred ninety-eight Australian media articles were captured. A substantial increase in the number of UPF articles was observed between 2017-2019 and 2021-2023. The UPF concept was inaccurately explained or defined in 32 % of the articles and was frequently used interchangeably with other descriptors, such as 'highly or heavily processed food', 'junk food', 'unhealthy food', 'packaged food' and 'discretionary food'. Most of the articles had a health focus; however, sustainability interest increased, particularly in the past 18 months. CONCLUSIONS: UPFs are increasingly being discussed in news media in Australia; however, the concept is still incorrectly presented in over a third of articles. This highlights the importance of improving the literacy about UPFs to ensure that messages are communicated in a way that is salient, accessible and accurate.

A Bengali news and public opinion dataset from YouTube.

Along with the traditional news publishing policies, news agencies now share news over the internet since people nowadays prefer reading news online. Moreover, news media maintain YouTube channels to publish visual stories. Readers comment to share their opinions below the corresponding news item. These news and comments have been a great source of information and research. However, there is a lack of research in the Bengali news context. This article presents a dataset containing 7,62,678 public comments and replies from 16,016 video news published from 2017 to 2023 from a renowned Bengali news YouTube channel. The data withholds 15 properties of news that include video URL, title, likes, views, date of publishing, hashtags, description, comment author, comment time, comment, likes in the comment, reply author, reply time, reply, and likes in the responses. To ensure privacy, the commentator's name is encoded in the dataset. The dataset is open to use for researchers at https://data.mendeley.com/datasets/3c3j3bkxvn/4. A translated file for the raw dataset is also included. This data may help scholars to identify patterns in public opinion and analyze how public opinion changes over time.

COVID-19 coverage from six network and cable news sources in the United States: Representation of misinformation, correction, and portrayals of severity.

The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is marked by divisions in perceptions of disease severity as well as misperceptions about the virus and vaccine that vary along ideological and political party lines. Perceptual differences may be due to differences in the information about the virus that individuals are exposed to within their own identity-affirming ideological news bubbles. This content analysis of six different national network transcripts highlights differences in coverage of severity, and the prevalence of misinformation and its correction that are consistent with previously established preferred news channels of conservatives/Republicans and liberals/Democrats and their perceptions and misperceptions about the pandemic. Results contribute to the growing body of country-specific COVID-19 media studies that allow for comparisons across nations with different cultures and media systems, as these factors play a pivotal role in national responses and experiences.

(Re)connecting with audiences. An overview of audience-inclusion initiatives in European French-speaking local news media.

This paper explores how local news organizations seek to strengthen their bond with audiences in French-speaking Europe (Belgium, France, and Switzerland). It does so by suggesting a new methodological approach focusing on the different ways in which this bond can be observed, i.e., the "initiatives" implemented by the news organizations. The study identifies 20 types of initiatives undertaken to (re)connect with audiences and presents a model of audience inclusion in news media in line with the literature on modalities of audience participation in news media. The discussion identifies changes in the positioning of local news organizations and journalists towards audiences regarding existing literature on participatory journalism but also on new practices more rooted in engagement, dialogue, and transparency towards audiences.

News media framing of food poverty and insecurity in high-income countries: a rapid review.

Food poverty and insecurity have become a public health emergency in many high-income countries. News media coverage can shape public and political views towards such issues. This rapid review synthesizes the evidence on how food poverty and insecurity are represented in the news media. Peer-reviewed publications were accessed through three electronic databases, with reference lists of all included studies screened. Primary research studies conducted in high-income countries and published in English since 1995 were included, with no restrictions on study methods. A combination of deductive coding to Entman's framing theory and inductive analysis was used. Ten studies, mostly rated as low quality, were included in the review. Newspapers were the only type of news media examined. The findings showed a largely absent nuanced understanding of food poverty and insecurity, with the problem often defined by food bank use and the consequences mainly focused on physical health. The causes were mostly attributed to structural factors, with the solutions largely focused on charitable food aid. The discourse of recipient (un)deservingness of food aid was evident. Articles often contained views from government officials and charities, with individuals' experiences of food poverty and insecurity largely absent. The findings of this review highlight that a major shift in print media discourse on food poverty and insecurity is required. More balanced and critical news reporting is required to present a more realistic picture of food poverty and insecurity, including its multi-dimensional nature, limitations of food charity and the need for structural solutions to this important issue.

News media exposure and life satisfaction in the COVID-19 pandemic: a moderated mediation model of COVID-19 fear and worries and gender.

BACKGROUND: Research has found that news media exposure may have both positive and negative consequences for well-being in times of crisis. However, the internal mechanisms underlying that relationship need further investigation. The purpose of the research presented in the paper was to explore the role of COVID-19 fear and worries and users' gender in the relationship between news media exposure and life satisfaction. PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE: Three hundred seventy-one media users aged 19 to 65 (M = 28.88, SD = 10.25) were surveyed with news media exposure, COVID-19 fear and worries, and life satisfaction scales. Correlation analyses and moderated mediation analyses were performed. RESULTS: The study demonstrated a significant positive association between news media exposure and life satisfaction, and an indirect effect of news exposure on life satisfaction via COVID-19 fear moderated by gender: elevated COVID-19 fear decreases the positive association between news exposure and life satisfaction, and this effect is stronger for women. CONCLUSIONS: The present study expands our understanding of the role that news media can play in shaping the user's well-being in a time of a health crisis. It demonstrates that the effects of exposure to news media during a crisis are twofold. On the one hand, the use of news media is associated with a more positive evaluation of one's life, which may indicate that media use is a way to cope with a crisis. On the other hand, frequent use of news media leads to an elevated level of fear related to COVID-19, which, in turn, lowers the user's well-being.

Voices represented and voices silenced: Represented voices in the media coverage of the implementation of a supervised injecting facility.

BACKGROUND: Victoria's first medically supervised injecting room (MSIR) has remained controversial despite mounting evidence in support of the facility. The opposition to a policy idea is subject to a myriad of factors including the media. Favouring the opinions of various actors, the media are a fundamental element of the narrative formation process. In this article, we examine the voices represented and voice silenced in print news media and the possible effects of such reporting. METHODS: A quantitative content and qualitative thematic analysis of Victorian print media (n=645) focusing on the implementation and continued operation of North Richmond Community Health's medically supervised injecting room was conducted. RESULTS: The representations of the MSIR were debated by three predominant actors - politicians, public, and residents. Politicians largely relied on the 'saving lives' rhetoric when supporting the facility. In addition, competing representations of 'public amenity' were presented by both advocates and proponents of the MSIR. We found the voices of people who inject drugs were inadequately represented within the data. Instead, overdose statistics were featured as were discursive descriptions of people who inject drugs such as 'addicts', 'junkies', and 'druggies'. CONCLUSION: Despite people who inject drugs being the population the MSIR is designed to benefit, their experiences and voices were lacking, highlighting social power structures, denying the silenced power, and obstructing social change. Overdose rates were consistently presented as numbers, negating personal experiences and lacking meaningful debate. Further, negative discourse referring to people who inject drugs may have implications regarding internalised and externalised stigma and drug policy.

Mental health hygiene during a health crisis: Exploring factors associated with media-induced secondary trauma in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aims: Given the risk of developing vicarious trauma through news media has increased during the pandemic, we explored risk factors associated with media induced secondary trauma, and its behavioral and psychological implications. Methods: An international study (N = 1066), with a diverse sample, was administered in July 2020. We used standardized and validated questionnaires to measure news consumption, media-related trauma, compliance, and paranoia. Results: Greater frequency of news consumption, accessing news via social media and WHO, and believing in conspiracy theories increased likelihood of developing media-induced secondary trauma. News related trauma was associated with greater compliance with safety measures and increased paranoid ideation. Media-trauma however exhibited a greater association with paranoia than compliance. Conclusion: Findings highlight the need to facilitate a collaborative intervention, with public, media houses, health safety officials, and social scientists to have a deeper understanding of potential psychological costs of news consumption patterns.

Examining the quality of news media reporting of complex mental illness in relation to violent crime in Australia.

PURPOSE: News reporting on mental illness can perpetuate stigma. An understanding of the current picture of such reporting is important to identify areas for improvement. This study investigated the quality of Australian news media coverage of complex mental illness in the context of crime and violence over a 2-year period, prior to the release of new media guidelines. METHODS: This research utilised a systematic search of Australian news articles that were published between July 2018 and July 2020 and reported on mental illness in relation to violent crime. Researchers developed a Mental Illness and Crime Reporting Quality Framework to determine quality scores for news articles according to 11 relevant factors in media guidelines. An additional 11 characteristics of articles were extracted for further descriptive analysis. RESULTS: One-hundred and twenty-eight Australian news articles met inclusion criteria. The average quality score was 50 (SD = 13.91) out of a possible maximum score of 100 (range 11-78). Strengths and weaknesses were identified as some criteria were consistently met, and other criteria were met rarely or not at all. There were emerging trends between quality scores and article characteristics, including publication source, though these analyses were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that Australian news coverage of complex mental illness and violent crime met half of the criteria of reporting guidelines that minimises risk of perpetuating or reinforcing stigma. This demonstrates significant opportunity to improve the overall quality of media reporting on crime and mental illness. Future research should evaluate the impact of the guidelines on the quality of news reporting after their implementation by utilising a similar methodology, using these findings as a baseline measure.

Ciencia, Genética, y ¿Desinformación?: A content analysis of genetic testing coverage from US Spanish-language news media.

Genetic testing (GT) has become ubiquitous in the United States, either in clinical or direct-to-consumer markets. White and English-speaking populations have primarily benefited from this new technology, leaving other groups, like Hispanic populations, behind. Explanations for this disparity has cited a lack of awareness and knowledge of genetic testing purposes. Science communication from English-language media play an important role in setting initial attitudes and influencing decision-making for audiences. However, Spanish-language media have virtually no research published on documented potential effects for GT utilization despite the continued growth of Hispanic Spanish-speaking groups in the United States. Thus, this study characterized coverage of GT from two of the most prominent US Spanish-language media outlets, Telemundo and Univision. Over a 12-year time period, we identified 235 written articles of GT, mainly focusing on forensics applications, followed by gossip and health. There were 292 sources referenced across all 235 articles drawing from governmental agencies or officials, other news agencies, and medical institutions or officials. The findings suggest that coverage of GT among Spanish-language news outlets is limited. When Spanish-language news outlets do cover GT, they focus on aspects of intrigue or entertainment more than demystifying and explaining GT. Stories tend to cite other published articles, with author attribution often missing, leading to questions of comfort of Spanish-media to cover these topics. Further, the publishing process may lead to confusion of the purpose of genetic testing for health purposes and may bias Spanish-speaking groups towards genetic testing for health purposes. Thus, reconciliation and education initiatives around genetic testing purposes are needed for Spanish-speaking communities from not only media, but also genetics providers and institutions.

News Media Coverage of Childcare: How U.S. Local TV News Framed the Problem Before and During the Early Stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Early care and education (ECE), or the care young children receive before entering formal schooling, can take multiple forms and is delivered in different settings, such as a center, church, or public school. Federal and state governments regularly fund ECE programs and policies through the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act (CCDBG). Many families, however, face significant challenges in access, cost, and quality of ECE programs, and ECE professionals report substantial challenges in the workplace (e.g., inadequate training) and beyond (e.g., low wages). Policies addressing issues related to ECE were proposed in 2021, but stalled on the U.S. federal policy agenda. In this study, we examine the ECE content of local television news coverage both for its representations of and for its potential influences on ECE policy agendas. We use data from local stations affiliated with the major networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX) in media markets across the U.S., airing before and during the pandemic. We analyze elements of coverage that could affect public recognition of ECE-related issues, including how problems were framed (e.g., news coverage highlighting scandals or adverse events at ECE facilities) and solutions identified (e.g., public policy). We find that during 2018 and 2019, more coverage highlighted scandalous activity than public policy. The reverse was true, however, during the early period of the pandemic (from mid-March through June of 2020). Researchers and health professionals were seldom included in stories in either sample, and very few stories offered context about the benefits of ECE for health and well-being. These coverage patterns have implications for the public's understanding of ECE policy and the perceived need for reform. Policymakers, advocates, and researchers looking to advance support for ECE should consider ways to use local television news to present health and policy-relevant information to broad segments of the public.

Thick critiques, thin solutions: news media coverage of meatpacking plants in the COVID-19 pandemic.

The human labor and animal inputs required to manufacture meat products are kept physically and symbolically distanced from the consumer. Recently however, meatpacking plants received significant news media attention when they emerged as hotpots for COVID-19 - threatening workers' health, requiring plants to slow production, and forcing farmers to euthanize livestock. In light of these disruptions, this research asks: how did news media frame the impact of COVID-19 on the meat industry, and to what extent is a process of defetishization observed? Examining a sample of 230 news articles from coverage of US meatpacking plants and COVID-19 in 2020, I find that news media largely attributes the cause for the spread of COVID-19 in meatpacking plants to the history of exploitative working conditions and business practices of the meat industry. By contrast, the solutions offered to address these problems aim at alleviating the immediate obstacles posed by the pandemic and returning to, rather than challenging, the status quo. These short-run solutions for complex issues demonstrate the constraints in imagining alternatives to a problem rooted in capitalism. Furthermore, my analysis shows that animals are only made visible in the production process when their bodies become a waste product.