BMJ  2004;329:1352 (4 December), doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7478.1352

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TV

Ten troublesome trends in TV health news

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

A 2002 Gallup poll showed that many Americans consider television their most important source of news and information on health. It also showed that television is one of the least trusted sources of such news and information. I studied each of the 840 health news stories that appeared between February and May 2003 on four television stations (KARE, KSTP, KMSP, WCCO) in Minneapolis-St Paul, Minnesota, where I live. As I watched hours of health news coverage, 10 troublesome trends scrolled across the screen.

Too brief to matter—Brevity robs viewers of the chance to grasp the significance of health stories. TV stations often pay lip service to health news by creating segments ("Lifeline Minute" or "Health Headlines"). But as more than two thirds of the stories in this analysis lasted less than a minute, and more than half were 30 seconds or less, this is a shallow commitment.

No full . . . [Full text of this article]

-->Common practices?

Gary Schwitzer, assistant professor

School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis schwitz@umn.edu


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Rapid Responses:

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Thanks for the great article
Jennifer L. Boen
bmj.com, 4 Dec 2004 [Full text]
This kind of research can improve doctor-patient relationships
Claudia B. Infante
bmj.com, 6 Dec 2004 [Full text]

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