Corey H Basch1, Charles E Basch2, Irwin Redlener3. 1. Department of Public Health, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ 07470, USA. 2. Department of Health and Behavior Studies, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA. 3. National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Widespread media attention about Ebola influences public awareness and interest, yet there is limited research on what aspects of Ebola have and have not been communicated through the media. METHODS: We examined the nature and extent of coverage about Ebola in the three most widely circulated United States (U.S.) daily newspapers. Between September 17, 2014 and October 17, 2014, 301 articles about Ebola in The New York Times, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal were identified and coded. RESULTS: The most common topic was coverage of cases in the United States (39%), followed by the outbreak in Africa (33.6%). CONCLUSION: This is the first study to describe coverage of the Ebola epidemic in widely circulated U.S. newspapers. A substantial portion of the American public is concerned about being infected with Ebola virus disease (EVD). In this study, a large emphasis was placed on death tolls and the cases in the United States. Much more can be done to educate readers about relevant aspects of the Ebola epidemic, including how Ebola is and is not transmitted.
BACKGROUND: Widespread media attention about Ebola influences public awareness and interest, yet there is limited research on what aspects of Ebola have and have not been communicated through the media. METHODS: We examined the nature and extent of coverage about Ebola in the three most widely circulated United States (U.S.) daily newspapers. Between September 17, 2014 and October 17, 2014, 301 articles about Ebola in The New York Times, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal were identified and coded. RESULTS: The most common topic was coverage of cases in the United States (39%), followed by the outbreak in Africa (33.6%). CONCLUSION: This is the first study to describe coverage of the Ebola epidemic in widely circulated U.S. newspapers. A substantial portion of the American public is concerned about being infected with Ebola virus disease (EVD). In this study, a large emphasis was placed on death tolls and the cases in the United States. Much more can be done to educate readers about relevant aspects of the Ebola epidemic, including how Ebola is and is not transmitted.
Authors: Bruce Aylward; Philippe Barboza; Luke Bawo; Eric Bertherat; Pepe Bilivogui; Isobel Blake; Rick Brennan; Sylvie Briand; Jethro Magwati Chakauya; Kennedy Chitala; Roland M Conteh; Anne Cori; Alice Croisier; Jean-Marie Dangou; Boubacar Diallo; Christl A Donnelly; Christopher Dye; Tim Eckmanns; Neil M Ferguson; Pierre Formenty; Caroline Fuhrer; Keiji Fukuda; Tini Garske; Alex Gasasira; Stephen Gbanyan; Peter Graaff; Emmanuel Heleze; Amara Jambai; Thibaut Jombart; Francis Kasolo; Albert Mbule Kadiobo; Sakoba Keita; Daniel Kertesz; Moussa Koné; Chris Lane; Jered Markoff; Moses Massaquoi; Harriet Mills; John Mike Mulba; Emmanuel Musa; Joel Myhre; Abdusalam Nasidi; Eric Nilles; Pierre Nouvellet; Deo Nshimirimana; Isabelle Nuttall; Tolbert Nyenswah; Olushayo Olu; Scott Pendergast; William Perea; Jonathan Polonsky; Steven Riley; Olivier Ronveaux; Keita Sakoba; Ravi Santhana Gopala Krishnan; Mikiko Senga; Faisal Shuaib; Maria D Van Kerkhove; Rui Vaz; Niluka Wijekoon Kannangarage; Zabulon Yoti Journal: N Engl J Med Date: 2014-09-22 Impact factor: 91.245