Health News and Responsibility: How Frames Create Blame

Who the public blames for health problems determines who the public believes is responsible for solving those health problems. Health policies targeting the broader public are the most effective way to improve health. The research approach described in this book will increase public support for critical health policies. The authors systematically organized and analyzed 25 years of thematic and episodic framing research in health news to create an approach to reframe responsibility in health news in order to gain public support for health policies. They apply their method to two of the top health issues in world--obesity and mental health--and conclude by discussing future research and plans for working with other health scholars, health practitioners, and journalists.

Lesa Hatley Major is Associate Professor in the Media School at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. She has published extensively on news framing and health issues. She worked as a journalist for years before earning her PhD in mass communication and public affairs.

Stacie Meihaus Jankowski is Assistant Professor of Journalism in the College of Informatics at Northern Kentucky University. Her main research focuses on media framing, particularly involving health issues. Her journalism experience informs her teaching in media law and media ethics. She received her PhD from Indiana University.