Citation

Parrott S, Eckhart N. Health Commun. 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

College of Communication & Information Sciences, The University of Alabama.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/10410236.2019.1693132

PMID

31739679

Abstract

Stigma represents an important social issue, one rooted in communication. The present study used a quantitative content analysis to examine the representation of the term stigma in one national and six regional news publications in the United States between 2000 and 2018. In the 1,524 stories examined, journalists explicitly defined stigma once. Stigma was discussed in relation to serious, often dehumanized conditions such as schizophrenia, substance abuse, and HIV/AIDS. However, journalists and news sources frequently trivialized stigma by referencing it in relation to bad football teams, food, motor vehicles, and other objects that do not experience the full impact of stigma: stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination.

Language: en