Department of Oncology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Support Care Cancer. 2012 Jan;20(1):49-55. doi: 10.1007/s00520-010-1049-9. Epub 2010 Dec 4.
This study investigated cancer portrayals in newspapers now and 20 years ago. Six major daily newspapers from regions across Canada were studied. All articles from a 3-month period in 2008 (n = 576) and 1988 or 1989 (n = 412) focusing on cancer were analyzed. Cancer is a more prevalent topic and is depicted in a more positive light in newspapers now when compared to 20 years ago. In 2008, the most common cancer-related themes were cancer research (27%), risk factors (26%), treatment (24%), education/prevention (20%), and fundraising events (19%). Compared to 1988/1989, in 2008, there was a significant decrease in articles covering the end of life and surgery, while there was a significant increase in articles portraying the senior population, male issues, individual stories depicting people suffering from cancer, the health care system, fundraising events, and ethics and law. The percentage of articles on psychosocial aspects of the cancer experience remained the same in 1988/1989 compared with 2008, with 16% of articles covering psychological aspects (vs. 17% in 2008), 5.6% social aspects (vs. 3.9% in 2008), and 0.2% spiritual aspects (vs. 0.5% in 2008). In 2008, few cancer articles spoke in-depth about palliative care (2.8%), issues concerning death and dying (5%), or bereavement (1%). Cancer newspaper reporting mostly focuses on the physical aspects of cancer rather than presenting a more holistic approach including psychosocial issues. Implications of the shifts in tone and content of newspaper reporting are discussed. We highlight the importance of promoting coverage of distress as the sixth vital sign in newspaper press so as to inform readers about the experience of cancer and the existence of psychosocial services designed to optimize quality of life.
本研究调查了当今和 20 年前报纸对癌症的描述。研究分析了来自加拿大各地六个主要日报在 2008 年 3 个月期间（n = 576）和 1988 或 1989 年（n = 412）聚焦癌症的所有文章。与 20 年前相比，现在的报纸上癌症是一个更为普遍的话题，且描述更为积极。2008 年，最常见的癌症相关主题是癌症研究（27%）、风险因素（26%）、治疗（24%）、教育/预防（20%）和筹款活动（19%）。与 1988/1989 年相比，2008 年报道临终和手术的文章数量显著减少，而报道老年人群、男性问题、个体描述癌症患者的故事、医疗保健系统、筹款活动以及伦理和法律的文章数量显著增加。1988/1989 年和 2008 年，报道癌症患者心理社会体验的文章比例相同，其中涵盖心理方面的文章比例分别为 16%（2008 年为 17%）、社会方面的文章比例分别为 5.6%（2008 年为 3.9%）和精神方面的文章比例分别为 0.2%（2008 年为 0.5%）。2008 年，很少有癌症文章深入探讨姑息治疗（2.8%）、死亡和临终问题（5%）或丧亲之痛（1%）。癌症报纸报道主要关注癌症的身体方面，而不是呈现包括心理社会问题在内的更全面的方法。讨论了报纸报道语气和内容转变的影响。我们强调了在报纸新闻中推广报道痛苦作为第六大生命体征的重要性，以便告知读者癌症的体验以及存在旨在优化生活质量的心理社会服务。
