Journalists and jabs: Media coverage of the MMR vaccine
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Tammy Speers
Abstract
The MMR vaccine became front-page news in early February 2002, in a much reported controversy about alleged links between MMR and autism. We examine both media content and public opinion and knowledge to explore how this controversy was presented, and, in turn, how this coverage influenced public perceptions. The news coverage of MMR was monitored over a seven and a half month period from 28 January to 15 September, 2002. Two national surveys were conducted—in April and in October, 2002—both based on over 1000 face to face interviews, with the purpose of exploring what the public learned from the coverage, and how this information may have influenced attitudes towards the vaccine. We will argue that the media's critical scrutiny of those supporting MMR was not matched by a rigorous examination of the case against it, and that the public was, as a consequence, often misinformed about the level of risk involved.
© Walter de Gruyter
Articles in the same Issue
- Editorial
- Multilingualism and healthcare in Nigeria: A management perspective
- Information empowers but who is empowered?
- ‘I didn't think I was at risk’: Interdiscursive relations in narratives of sexual practices and exposure to HIV
- Reconceptualizing interruptions in physician-patient interviews: Cooperative and intrusive
- Presentation of self and symptoms in primary care consultations involving patients from non-English speaking backgrounds
- Journalists and jabs: Media coverage of the MMR vaccine
- Helping people assess the health risks from lifestyle choices: Comparing a computer decision aid with customized printed alternative
- Telling the truth about genomics
- Index of articles in Volume 1 (2004)
Articles in the same Issue
- Editorial
- Multilingualism and healthcare in Nigeria: A management perspective
- Information empowers but who is empowered?
- ‘I didn't think I was at risk’: Interdiscursive relations in narratives of sexual practices and exposure to HIV
- Reconceptualizing interruptions in physician-patient interviews: Cooperative and intrusive
- Presentation of self and symptoms in primary care consultations involving patients from non-English speaking backgrounds
- Journalists and jabs: Media coverage of the MMR vaccine
- Helping people assess the health risks from lifestyle choices: Comparing a computer decision aid with customized printed alternative
- Telling the truth about genomics
- Index of articles in Volume 1 (2004)
