Whose stories are told and who is made responsible? Human-interest framing in health journalism in Norway, Spain, the U.K. and the U.S.

Abstract

Human-interest narratives are journalistic tools to captivate and engage the audience, influence public opinion and bring revenue to media organizations. This paper analyses how human-interest narratives are used in contemporary health journalism across media systems and health systems. Based on a comparative content analysis of Norwegian, Spanish, U.K. and U.S. newspapers (2016–2017), it studies how human-interest stories are contextualized, health problems explained and responsibility attributed. The article reveals a complex picture of the role of human-interest stories in health coverage. In line with expectations, the study finds that human-interest stories do tend to emphasize individual biomedical treatment of illness and to privilege idealized victims who fit the routines of dominant media dramaturgy. In contrast to theories that consider personalization of news as an individualization of responsibility and dumbing down of public debate, however, the study finds that human-interest narratives are also used to explain health as a structural phenomenon and a collective responsibility, appealing to political intervention and accountability of health authorities. Such claims are more prominent in European human-interest health stories and less frequent in the more strongly commercialized U.S. health and media system.

Content Analysis of American Network News Coverage of Prevention Strategies During the Initial Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Human-interest stories are a journalistic tool designed to captivate and engage the viewers. 30 While these stories, in addition to coverage of case counts, were not included in the categorization of prevention according to the prevention framework, this coverage may influence a viewer's perception of the pandemic and in turn motivate them to take preventive action. 10,30 We found that coverage of the pandemic dominated the news during the study period, though the majority of coverage was not focused on primary prevention activities.…”

Complexity and controversy in media coverage of Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination: A qualitative content analysis of news coverage in Denmark 2008–2018

“…Reporting on vaccination typically involves the same news values as other forms of journalism. Controversy and human interest serve to attract and sustain readers' attention but are also used to illuminate structural power issues, appealing to political intervention and accountability of health authorities (Amend and Secko, 2012;Figenschou et al, 2021). When covering perceived health crises, journalists may choose to change their role perceptions and act as public mobilizers, cooperating more closely with health authorities and even promulgating arguments against vaccine skepticism (Hausman, 2019, chapter 2;Klemm et al, 2019).…”

Vernacular journalism: Local news and everyday life

“…Recent years have seen the growing prominence of human interest stories across a range of news genres. Such stories are no longer seen as restricted to "soft news" sections but are instead incorporated across conventional "hard news" genres, contributing to shaping public opinion and engendering broader debates about social issues (Figenschou et al, 2021).…”