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Chronic diseases remain the leading cause of death in the United States, yet media coverage disproportionately focuses on more sensational but statistically rare risks, such as homicide and terrorism. This imbalance in reporting was explored in a recent study by Calvin Isch, a doctoral student at the Annenberg School for Communication and a member of the Computational Social Science Lab (CSSLab). His findings, published in Social Science & Medicine, highlight the significant gap between the true risks Americans face and how they are represented in the news.
Despite chronic illnesses accounting for 70% of annual deaths in the U.S. and affecting six in ten Americans, they receive far less attention compared to other causes of death that stir public fear and emotion. Isch’s study analyzed 823,406 articles from major U.S. news outlets between 1999 and 2020 using natural language processing techniques. The results revealed a stark disparity: heart disease, which accounts for 36% of deaths, had only one article per 323 deaths, whereas terrorism, responsible for a mere 0.00008% of deaths, was covered in a ratio of 36 articles per single death.
In addition to identifying gaps in coverage, Isch examined how news media framed different mortality risks. Coverage of chronic diseases tended to emphasize individual behavior changes, such as diet and exercise, as primary interventions. Meanwhile, sensational risks like terrorism were more often linked to policy solutions, reinforcing a collective response rather than personal responsibility. Moreover, reports on sensational risks carried a more negative emotional tone, whereas articles on chronic diseases maintained a neutral tone.
This skewed representation in the media has broader implications for public health awareness and policy decisions. By prioritizing rare but shocking events, the news influences public perception of risk and may shift funding and policy focus away from the prevention and treatment of chronic conditions. Health experts argue that improving media coverage of chronic diseases could lead to better-informed policy decisions and a more health-conscious public.
The study’s insights suggest that rebalancing media attention toward chronic health risks could be a step toward aligning public perception with reality, ultimately shaping more effective health interventions.
Disclaimer: This article is based on research findings published in Social Science & Medicine and aims to provide an objective overview of media representation in public health. The views expressed in the study do not necessarily reflect those of this publication or its affiliates.
