The Making of Local TV Health News: Relationships Between Gender, Source, Topic, and Tone

Theoretical Background and research questions/hypothesis: Based on the theoretical frameworks of agenda building, framing, and the news production process model, this study explored relationships among gender of anchors or reporters, sources, story topics, story tone, interviewee’s tone, and frames of local television health news. Specifically, this study examined how the primary sources of local television health news were used for different topics (RQ1), and whether there were relationships between sources and the tone of local television health news (RQ2). Regarding the framing of news, this study also examined whether there were relationships between the tone and frames (thematic/episodic) of local television health news (RQ3). This study further explored how the tone of news was associated with the tone of interviewees (RQ4). In relation to gender of reporters or anchors, this research addressed whether there were relationships between gender of reporters or anchors and the tone (RQ5) as well as topics (RQ6) of local television health news. Lastly, this study examined scenes on health news aired by local television stations (RQ7).

Methods: A content analysis of local television health news was conducted. To collect local television health news, mid-Missouri local television news aired at 6PM and 10PM by two local television stations affiliated with NBC and ABC were recorded from January to March 2009 by using a digital video recording device. A total of two hundred and forty five 30-minute long daily newscasts were recorded, but only health news stories were clipped. A total of 416 local television health news stories were selected as final data. The unit of analysis of this study was each health news story clip. Each health news story was coded for the following variables: gender of reporters and anchors, story topics, story tone, frames, tone of interviewee, and elements of television scene.

Results: This study revealed a positive relationship between the tone of interviewees and the tone of news, which was also significantly associated with frames of local television news. Thematic and episodic frames of news were reported with neutral and positive tones, respectively. Additionally, news from government agencies, local state health departments, and expert sources was reported with a neutral tone, whereas news from local universities and non-profit organization sources was presented with a positive tone. However, gender of anchors or reporters was not significantly associated with story topics or the tone of news.

Conclusions: Extended from previous survey studies dependent on health journalists’ self-reports, this study analyzes reporter use of sources and its associations with story topics, tone, interviewee’s tone, and frames of news in a local television news market.

Implications for research and/or practice: This study provides media relations practitioners in public health management with information about what kinds of sources are selected for specific health topics by local television stations, and how those sources determine the tone of news, which is in turn associated with frames of news. More importantly, this study examines the quality of local television health news in detail and emphasizes the necessity of improving the quality of local television news. <Funding for this research was provided from Health Literacy Missouri.>