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Journal Article

Citation

Holton A, Weberling B, Clarke CE, Smith MJ. Health Commun. 2012; 27(7): 690-701.

Affiliation

School of Journalism , University of Texas at Austin.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/10410236.2011.633158

PMID

22236220

Abstract

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.


Language: en

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