Assessment of newspaper reporting of public health and the medical model: a methodological case study

A case study over a I-week period reviewed health items reported in the Aus tralian newspaper, The [Brisbane] Courier Mail, under the two broad categor ies of public health and the medical model. Content analysis was utilized t o assess 19 criteria which measured prominence content, stakeholders, orien tation of reporting and tone of items. The findings suggest that public hea lth, including health promotion, is presented less often less prominently a nd less positively than medical model issues (Westwood, 1995). No comparabl e review of press reporting of these two models was identified in extensive international literature searches and this study is considered to break ne w ground. The potential influence of the print media in the education of th e population on public health issues is presented. It is proposed that a gr eater understanding of the dynamics of health reporting and particularly th e relationship between public health and the medical model may lead to move constructive and informative reporting.