Does Local Television News Coverage Cultivate Fatalistic Beliefs about Cancer Prevention?

Abstract

A substantial proportion of American adults hold fatalistic beliefs about cancer prevention despite evidence that a large proportion of cancer deaths are preventable. Several scholars suggest that news media coverage is one source of these beliefs, but scant evidence has been brought to bear on this assertion. We report findings from two studies that assess the plausibility of the claim that local television (TV) news cultivates fatalistic beliefs about cancer prevention. Study 1 features a content analysis of an October 2002 national sample of local TV and newspaper coverage about cancer (n=122 television stations; n=60 newspapers). Study 2 describes an analysis of the 2005 Annenberg National Health Communication Survey (ANHCS, n=1,783 respondents). Study 1 indicates that local TV news stories were more likely than newspaper stories to mention cancer causes and scientific research and less likely to provide follow-up information. Study 2 reveals that local TV news viewing was positively associated with fatalistic beliefs about cancer prevention. Overall, findings are consistent with the claim that local TV news coverage may promote fatalistic beliefs about cancer prevention. We conclude with a discussion of study implications for cultivation theory and the knowledge gap hypothesis and suggest foci for future research.

Figure 1

Variance in Volume of Local Television News Cancer Coverage Between and Within the Top 50 Media Markets Notes. UW NewsLab captured between one and four of the four major affiliate stations (ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC) per market during October 2002. Bars represent the range in volume of cancer coverage between all captured local television stations within the same media market for the month, and dots represent cancer coverage on each individual stations captured. Markets are order by size from the largest (1), New York, to the smallest of the top 50 (50), Louisville.