Media Valuations of Health Journalism and Health Dynamics in Brazilian Printed Media

Abstract

The objective of this study was to understand the opinions of journalists and health managers regarding the dynamics of health news dissemination in printed newspapers from the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three journalists from the A Tribuna newspaper, three journalists from the A Gazeta newspaper, two editors from these newspapers, two press officers from the Department of Health of Espírito Santo, Brazil and five health managers. The interviews were analysed using content analysis, with Social Representation Theory as a reference. The data analysis revealed that the newspapers tend to value the negative, the quantitative, the novel, and the aesthetic. Similarly, evidence was found for the factors that determine which health issues/diseases will be addressed by the printed media. The respondents’ answers also emphasised the main difficulties of health journalism, which mainly concern journalists’ relationship with their sources. It was concluded that harmony between these actors is rare, which can lead to a decrease in the quality of health news.