Division of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA; email:
Government Department, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut 06459, USA; email:
Annu Rev Public Health. 2019 Apr 1;40:167-185. doi: 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-040218-044017. Epub 2019 Jan 11.
Television (TV) news, and especially local TV news, remains an important vehicle through which Americans obtain information about health-related topics. In this review, we synthesize theory and evidence on four main functions of TV news in shaping public health policy and practice: reporting events and information to the public (surveillance); providing the context for and meaning surrounding health issues (interpretation); cultivating community values, beliefs, and norms (socialization); and attracting and maintaining public attention for advertisers (attention merchant). We also identify challenges for TV news as a vehicle for improving public health, including declining audiences, industry changes such as station consolidation, increasingly politicized content, potential spread of misinformation, and lack of attention to inequity. We offer recommendations for public health practitioners and researchers to leverage TV news to improve public health and advance health equity.
电视（TV）新闻，尤其是地方 TV 新闻，仍然是美国人获取健康相关主题信息的重要途径。在这篇综述中，我们综合了有关电视新闻在塑造公共卫生政策和实践方面的四个主要功能的理论和证据：向公众报告事件和信息（监测）；为健康问题提供背景和意义（解释）；培养社区价值观、信仰和规范（社会化）；以及为广告商吸引和保持公众关注（关注商人）。我们还确定了电视新闻作为改善公共卫生的工具所面临的挑战，包括观众减少、行业变化（如电视台合并）、内容日益政治化、潜在的错误信息传播以及对不平等问题的关注不足。我们为公共卫生从业者和研究人员提供了一些建议，以利用电视新闻改善公共卫生和促进健康公平。
