[Health care sector in TV news]

Abstract

Background: This paper documents how the main Norwegian TV news programme "Dagsrevyen" approaches the health care sector and discusses some effects its approach may have on public opinion.

Material and methods: Data on 1116 programmes aired between 1996 and 2003 period were analysed. Stories were coded by place in the news sequence, subject, who were interviewed, and what kind of message (positive, neutral, negative) the stories were giving.

Results: During the first years of the period in question, Dagsrevyen almost daily brought stories from the health care sector, often among its top stories. In the later years, the coverage was cut by 50%. Stories on the workings of the health care services, their funding, and the treatment of patients dominated. Patients and professionals, particularly doctors, were the most frequently interviewed. About one in two of the stories had a negative message, one in four a positive message. Stories presented early on in the programme were most often negative; this tendency did, however, become weaker over time.

Interpretation: The number of stories from the health care sector is mainly influenced by competition from other media and by programming policies. The angle of presentation chosen, the topics and the messages correspond to the ideals of "storytelling with pictures", which TV newscasters adopted in the mid-1990s. Repetitive negative coverage of the health care system contributes to forming public opinion and policy. This type of news coverage represents a pressure towards a search for new policies.