Newspaper Articles On Organ Transplantation Mostly Positive

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Newspaper Articles On Organ Transplantation Mostly Positive, Study

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20 Jun 2007

A content analysis of newspaper stories about organ and tissue

donation, conducted by researchers at the University at Buffalo,

found an almost 4:1 ratio of positive-to-negative articles on the

subject.

In a study involving 715 stories published in 20 newspapers over two

years, results showed that 57 percent of the articles were positive

to organ donation, while 14 percent were negative. The remaining were

neutral.

Results of the analysis appear in the current (June 2007) issue of

Health Communication.

" Research has shown that most of what people know about health issues

they get second- or third-hand from the media or friends and family, "

said Hugh Feeley, Ph.D., first author on the study.

" Available data suggests that organ donation is portrayed positively

in the media, but it also shows a lack of knowledge about the

critical shortage of organs and about how organs are procured and

assigned, " said Feeley, associate professor of communication in the

UB College of Arts and Sciences and of family medicine in the UB

School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

" We wanted to know if the issue was covered positively in newspapers,

and what aspect of organ donation the articles concentrated on, " he

said. " We also wondered if the content differs by newspaper or

region. "

Newspapers were chosen for content analysis by size of circulation

and electronic access to the database. Four of the five largest U.S.

daily newspapers and 13 of the top 20 were selected for the study.

Nearly all the nation's major dailies in the East, Midwest, South and

West were included, plus USA Today, which is considered a " national "

newspaper.

The analysis was structured to capture 17 specific categories, or

references appearing in the articles, such as organ, youth, tragedy,

minority, etc.

Results showed the five most frequently referenced topics in the

articles were: kidneys, post-transplantation health and welfare,

information on the critical shortage of organs, living donation and

the actual transplant surgery process.

Negative references primarily detailed mistakes that occurred during

transplantation or post-transplantation difficulties. References to

family or friends as living kidney donors accounted for 88 percent of

positive articles.

The New York Times published the most articles on organ donation --

108, followed by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch with 57, analysis

showed.

" One theory of media influence holds that media selectively influence

opinion leaders on an issue, who in turn discuss the topic with

individuals who may not attend to the issue in media, " Feeley

noted. " I think this is what happens with organ donation. "

To get a fuller picture of the role of the media, future research on

organ donation should examine the influence of media content on

reader attitudes, and should study other sources of influence on

individual belief regarding organ donation, he said.

###

III, a communication doctoral student working with

Feeley, is also an author on the study.

The research was funded by a grant to Feeley from the U.S. Department

of Health and Human Services.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public

university, the largest and most comprehensive campus in the State

University of New York. UB's more than 27,000 students pursue their

academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and

professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at

Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.

Contact: Lois Baker

University at Buffalo