Framing Responsibility for Depression: How U.S. News Media Attribute Causal and Problem-Solving Responsibilities When Covering a Major Public Health Issue

• In Event: Advances in Framing Research: Content Analyses

Abstract

This paper analyzes how U.S. print and broadcast news media covered depression over the past three decades: specifically, how six national and local newspapers, five broadcast and cable TV networks and a public media network framed depression and attributed causal and problem-solving responsibilities at individual and societal levels. The study also explored how cultural values and organizational constraints may have influenced the frame building process. Findings indicate that U.S. news media placed more causal and problem-solving responsibilities on the individual than on the society. However, references to societal solutions increased slightly over time. Organizational differences emerged in news framing as print media presented more individual-level causes while broadcast media focused more on solutions at both individual and societal levels. Additionally, local newspapers placed more problem-solving responsibilities on the individual than national newspapers, while cable news channels assigned more time to the discussion of depression responsibilities than broadcast TV networks.

Authors

• Yuan Zhang, Virginia Commonwealth U

• Yan Jin, U of Georgia

• Sean Stewart, Highpoint U