Reporter sex and newspaper coverage of the adverse health effects of hormone therapy

Abstract

Women have used hormone therapy (HT) to relieve menopausal symptoms for decades. Major studies published in JAMA in July 2002 demonstrated adverse health effects from hormone therapy, and the National Institutes of Health halted the Women's Health Initiative clinical trial several years early. We conducted a content analysis of 10 U.S. newspapers in July and August 2002 to examine the role of reporter sex on news coverage on HT. We found substantial sex differences in reporting about HT. Female reporters were much more likely than male reporters to include a self-help frame (66.7% vs. 30.8%, p = 0.002). Female reporters were also much more likely to use women in the public as sources in HT-related articles (33.9% vs. 10.0%, p = 0.039). Reporter sex may play a role in the selection and content of health news articles.