The Presence of Sensational Language Describing Stem Cell Therapies in News Articles: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Pham, Vivian; Slawson, Madison; Nicks, Savannah; Ottwell, Ryan; Greiner, Ben; Vassar, Matt

doi:10.2217/rme-2021-0017

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 19 publications

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“…It did not engage in employing the use of 'you' or the personification of obesity as The Sun and The Mail Online did, suggesting a more neutral language. In fact, sensational language has the potential to shape health behaviours as observed in the use of misleading superlatives in stem cell therapy coverage (Pham et al 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘You Owe It to Yourself, Everyone You Love and to Our Beleaguered NHS to Get Yourself Fit and Well’: Weight Stigma in the British Media during the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Thematic Analysis

Carbone-Moane

Guise

2021

Social Sciences

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The portrayal of obesity in the media can impact public health by guiding peoples’ behaviours and furthering stigma. Individual responsibility for body weight along with negative portrayals of obesity have frequently dominated UK media discourses on obesity. This study aims to explore how the media has represented obesity during the COVID-19 pandemic through a thematic analysis of 95 UK online newspaper articles published in The Sun, The Mail Online, and The Guardian. The first theme, lifestyle recommendations, accounts for media coverage providing ‘expert’ advice on losing weight. The second theme, individual responsibility, emphasises media appeals to self-governance to tackle obesity and protect the NHS during the pandemic. The third theme, actors of change, explores how celebrities and politicians are presented as examples of weight management. These results suggest that individuals are held responsible for their weight and accountable for protecting the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stigma can be furthered by the decontextualisation of lifestyle recommendations and exacerbated by the actors of change presented: Celebrity profiles reveal gendered goals for weight management, and politicians exemplify self-governance, which consolidates their power. In conclusion, individualising and stigmatising discourses around obesity have taken new forms during the pandemic that link health responsibility to protecting the NHS and invokes celebrities and politicians to foster action.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%