Abstract
Past research has demonstrated that news coverage of cancer research, and scientific research generally, rarely contains discourse-based hedging, including caveats, limitations, and uncertainties. In a multiple message experiment (k=4 news stories, N=1082), the authors examined whether hedging shaped the perceptions of news consumers. The results revealed that participants were significantly less fatalistic about cancer (p=.039) and marginally less prone to nutritional backlash (p=.056) after exposure to hedged articles. Participants exposed to articles mentioning a second researcher (unaffiliated with the present study) exhibited greater trust in medical professions (p=.001). The findings provide additional support for the inclusion of discourse-based hedging in cancer news coverage and suggest that news consumers will use scientific uncertainty in illness representations.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 486-503 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| Journal | Journal of Health Communication |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 2011 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Health(social science)
- Library and Information Sciences
- Communication
Cite this
Including limitations in news coverage of cancer research : Effects of news hedging on fatalism, medical skepticism, patient trust, and backlash. / Jensen, Jakob D.; Carcioppolo, Nick; King, Andy J.; Bernat, Jennifer K.; Davis, Lashara; Yale, Robert; Smith, Jessica.
In: Journal of Health Communication, Vol. 16, No. 5, 05.2011, p. 486-503.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Including limitations in news coverage of cancer research
T2 - Effects of news hedging on fatalism, medical skepticism, patient trust, and backlash
AU - Jensen, Jakob D.
AU - Carcioppolo, Nick
AU - King, Andy J.
AU - Bernat, Jennifer K.
AU - Davis, Lashara
AU - Yale, Robert
AU - Smith, Jessica
PY - 2011/5
Y1 - 2011/5
N2 - Past research has demonstrated that news coverage of cancer research, and scientific research generally, rarely contains discourse-based hedging, including caveats, limitations, and uncertainties. In a multiple message experiment (k=4 news stories, N=1082), the authors examined whether hedging shaped the perceptions of news consumers. The results revealed that participants were significantly less fatalistic about cancer (p=.039) and marginally less prone to nutritional backlash (p=.056) after exposure to hedged articles. Participants exposed to articles mentioning a second researcher (unaffiliated with the present study) exhibited greater trust in medical professions (p=.001). The findings provide additional support for the inclusion of discourse-based hedging in cancer news coverage and suggest that news consumers will use scientific uncertainty in illness representations.
AB - Past research has demonstrated that news coverage of cancer research, and scientific research generally, rarely contains discourse-based hedging, including caveats, limitations, and uncertainties. In a multiple message experiment (k=4 news stories, N=1082), the authors examined whether hedging shaped the perceptions of news consumers. The results revealed that participants were significantly less fatalistic about cancer (p=.039) and marginally less prone to nutritional backlash (p=.056) after exposure to hedged articles. Participants exposed to articles mentioning a second researcher (unaffiliated with the present study) exhibited greater trust in medical professions (p=.001). The findings provide additional support for the inclusion of discourse-based hedging in cancer news coverage and suggest that news consumers will use scientific uncertainty in illness representations.
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U2 - 10.1080/10810730.2010.546491
DO - 10.1080/10810730.2010.546491
M3 - Article
VL - 16
SP - 486
EP - 503
JO - Journal of Health Communication
JF - Journal of Health Communication
SN - 1081-0730
IS - 5
ER -