The Blame Frame: Media Attribution of Culpability About the MMR–Autism Vaccination Scare
by Avery Holton
Co-authored with Brooke Weberling (South Carolina) , Christopher E. Clarke (Cornell) & Michael J. Smith (Louisville). Published in Health Communication, 2012.
Scholars have examined how news media frame events, including responsibility for causing and fixing problems, and how... more Scholars have examined how news media frame events, including responsibility for causing and fixing problems, and how these frames inform public judgment. This study analyzed 281 newspaper articles about a controversial medical study linking the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination with autism. Given criticism of the study and its potential negative impact on vaccination rates across multiple countries, the current study examined actors to whom news media attributed blame for the MMR–vaccine association, sources used to support those attributions, and what solutions (e.g., mobilizing information), if any, were offered. This study provides unique insight by examining the evolution of these attributions over the lifetime of the controversy. Findings emphasize how news media may attribute blame in health risk communication and how that ascription plays a potentially vital role in shaping public behavior. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
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Seen by: and 5 moreRepresentations of autism in Australian print media. Disability and Society
Jones, Sandra & Harwood, Valerie (2009) Disability and Society, 24 (1), pp. 5-18
Keywords: Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, ASD, Autistic Spectrum, Media, Newsprint Media, MMR Debate
The mass media provides a frame for discourse around important health issues, and it has been widely demonstrated that... more The mass media provides a frame for discourse around important health issues, and it has been widely demonstrated that the development and reinforcement of stereotypes of minority groups are strongly influenced by the news and entertainment media. An extensive search of academic databases failed to locate any studies which examined the representation of autism in the news media, although there were a number of articles on the media role in the autism and MMR debate. This paper reports on an examination of the extent, and nature, of coverage of 'autism spectrum disorders' in the Australian print media between 1996 and 2005. Key findings include a relatively limited amount of factual information and a dual stereotype of people labeled as having autism as either dangerous and uncontrollable or unloved and poorly treated. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of the nature and tone of this coverage of autism and its potential impact on individuals described as 'autistic', their families and carers and the community in general.
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