The New Normal for Health Journalists in Mainstream Media
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62008/ixc/15/02LanuevKeywords:
journalism, health, mass media, gatekeeping, social determinants of health, health communicationAbstract
This research addresses the current professional situation of health journalists in mainstream media, who during the pandemic became the editors´ reference points for the gatekeeping. The objective is to find out whether the changes in the hierarchy of health issues have persisted after the pandemic and whether the consideration of health within the newsrooms has changed. Through qualitative methodology, the perceptions of 16 Spanish health journalists who work in mainstream newspapers, radios and televisions has been collected and analyzed. Consistent with the quantitative scientific literature on the media presence of different health topics, the interviewed journalists perceive that their media more often deal with news related to the health care system and less often with issues linked to the social determinants of health. Regarding the transformations in the gatekeeping, after the pandemic, the changes have not lasted. It is concluded that, for health journalists in the Spanish mainstream media, the new normal is very similar to the professional situation prior to the pandemic.
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