Eating disorders in the media: The changing nature of UK newspaper reports.

OBJECTIVE

Concern has been expressed about the adequacy of media reporting about eating disorders (EDs) and the impact of this on public understanding. We analyse messages about EDs in UK newspapers, comparing these with US news reports, and show changes over time and between types of newspaper.

METHOD

Three thousand five hundred and eighty-three national press news articles were analysed using content and keyword analysis.

RESULTS

UK press coverage presents a more realistic clinical picture than US coverage. Profiling people with EDs, popular 'tabloid' newspapers give more details of clinical complications than serious 'broadsheet' newspapers, which focus more on research stories and public health concerns. The association of EDs with young, white, female 'celebrities' is constant over time, but medical views about causation and treatment are more prominent in later years.

CONCLUSION

Popular journalists pursue an entertainment agenda for their reporting of health stories and this study shows both the constraints and public education opportunities provided by this genre.