Journal of Research in Medical and Dental Science 2021, Volume 9, Issue 4, Page No: 496-500 Copyright CC BY-NC 4.0 Available Online at: www.jrmds.in eISSN No. 2347-2367: pISSN No. 2347-2545

Assessing the Quality of Health Reporting in Pakistan: A Content Analysis of Daily the Nation Newspaper

Rameez Mahesar1*, Yasra Naeem Pasha2, Mubina Pathan3, Zareen Qadeer4 1Department of Media and Communication Studies, Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur, Pakistan 2Department of Architecture and Planning, Dawood University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi, Pakistan 3Information Technology Centre, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, Pakistan 4Department of Social Work, University of Sindh, Jamshoro, Pakistan

ABSTRACT Newspapers are the most important sources of information about health. They are the most influential tools to educate the masses about health. Therefore, it was of a profound significance to understand how they work on health sector of Pakistan. The content analysis of health news was carried out throughout the whole year of 2020. For this, an English newspaper of Pakistan “Daily the Nation” was selected to carry out the research because the English newspapers are believed to have the responsible reporting style as they have the well-educated-cum-trained reporters who work on their assignments responsibly. To collect the data, the archive service for newspaper was used, and 101 health news were identified. The news was further split into two portions, 1) those having optimistic claims, and 2) those having pessimistic claims. However, the news which carried positive connotations within their contents were named as the news of optimistic claims, whereas the news which brought negative connotations inside their contents were named as the news of pessimistic claims. To this end, health reporting was found of a poor quality as the newspaper, on the first hand, covered the news of pessimistic claims more than those of optimistic claims. On the other hand, newspaper has given insufficient coverage to the health topics with average 8.5 health news in each month throughout the whole year. This problem can be countered only, when the reporters are well-trained and well-educated with special health background knowledge. Further study should be executed to make editors and reporters aware of how important the health reporting in the country is–Pakistan. Key words: Health reporting, Newspaper, Pakistan, Nation

HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Rameez Mahesar, Yasra Naeem Pasha, Mubina Pathan, Zareen Qadeer, Assessing the Quality of Health Reporting

in Pakistan: A Content Analysis of Daily the Nation Newspaper, J Res Med Dent Sci, 2021, 9 (4):496-500.

Corresponding author: Rameez Mahesar e-mail: [email protected] health issues of public and can possibly wield Received: 01/04/2021 collective awareness of society’s irresistible Accepted: 16/04/2021 health-relatedthe influence information over public across health the policies world. [1]. In INTRODUCTION theHowever, United newspapersStates, adults are contributing the vital to source 75% of newspaper readership label newspapers to be Health reporting has become one of the most profound sources of health information. It Also in China, newspapers were meet as the has the potential to educate the masses about best sources of information related to health [2]. public health. Additionally, public health is of second most used channel of information great significance toss haveof society’s the public public’s health forregarding masses healthto the information against urban of different people sorts [3]. implications. It has the power to elevate the Even though, internet has made an easy access collectiveJournal of Research awarene in Medical and Dental Science | Vol. 9 | Issue 4 | April 2021 496 Rameez Mahesar, et al. J Res Med Dent Sci, 2021, 9 (4):496-500

stay to be the truest of the sources of information related to health in the [4], newspapers still deficiencies in its social insurance that gives are commonly labelled as more credible sources qualitythe health of health coverage reporting for workers. in Pakistani To this English end, ofspecial health manner information [5]. Besides, than other they mediums(newspapers) such Press.this would be the first ever study to explore the Media watch the great triumph of newspapers in this age of as television and Internet [6]. This could be internet. analyzed to look into the role of newspapers in For people, generally the media could be Newspaper coverage of health-related news was the enough praiseworthy means of health information but health information in the media the area of health journalism. Even in the age of is unable to supplant a personal medical opinion. isinternet, on the traditional rise. In mediaPakistan, (such newspapers as newspapers, are beingtelevision, released, and circulated, radio) across and theread entire in different globe newspaperIt is thus indispensable contained inside for people their contentsto know [7].the Health-related topics that are getting covered in bylanguages, countering therefore the problems they could which easily the country cover all is the issues. They can perform the watchdog role news that affect the public viewpoints for many oldest English newspapers of Pakistan namely health issues not only on individual level but also “Dailyfacing. theHowever, Nation” for was the currentselected study, to do one research of the anon according collective manner. level and eventually they develop on the way newspaper is reporting the health their knowledge, beliefs, and health behaviors in topics of country. It has been getting released Health being the most important aspect of human for the last three and a half decades since it was public. Nowadays, people are largely interested being released from three major cities of Pakistan inlife information invariably remains regarding as adiseases, common medications, concern for established in Karachi in 1986. Afterwards, it is elements. It is therefore important to understand i.e. Karachi, Islamabad, and Lahore. To meet the preventative measures, and health-promoting newspaper.set-objectives, the required information was they report the health issues was therefore gathered through archive databases for the said Research questions neededhow newspapers to measure report their healthquality topics. when Theit comes way health topics in the newspaper? What is the extent of information regarding illnessthe matter representations, of public health. it Givenis thus the significantnecessary forpotential the health of news communication coverage in theresearchers creation to of inside the health-related news? What is the claim most frequently mentioned Objectives completely map health news coverage styles. it is also necessary to understand how the news are the most important sources of health For them to make efforts to achieve their targets, media works. In the field of health journalism, newspapers Health reporting in Pakistan As far as our knowledge is concerned, no study information. But the way newspapers are on the quality of health reporting in health wayreporting the newspaper health issues works or on even health developments reporting, the is journalism in Pakistan has so far been executed. really questionable. In order to investigate the meet such as; to understand the quality of health current study has structured three objectives to research projects as it is a low-income country in reporting in the newspaper, to determine the Because Pakistan consumes too less on the extent of health information which the newspaper the EMR (Eastern Mediterranean Region). WHO the connotations of content of the news. country – Pakistan – in the D category of EMR? In disseminates among the masses, and to observe (World Health Organization) has placed the LITERATURE REVIEW

Pakistanthis regard, still newspaper lacks in strong coverage capacities of health of healthtopics Although the research studies on the current andis in public the limited institutions, in Pakistani and it region. suffers Besides, from

Journal of Research in Medical and Dental Science | Vol. 9 | Issue 4 | April 2021phenomenon have been scarce, studies or 497found Rameez Mahesar, et al. J Res Med Dent Sci, 2021, 9 (4):496-500 in some parts of the world. Studies carried out on

opinions,was used. Toletters, this end,editorials, the current and studyso on. is In limited total, inthe wielding role of news power media on readers in fighting as well tobacco. as opinion They to the news coverage only excluding the articles, leadersfound that on thenewspaper topics of were public the health. effective media 101 news as a result were identified from the Units of analysis whole year coverage. uality of the health Previous research studies such as of Wakefield reporting, news was examined with what they makinghave informed just thatthrough the media the could information undoubtedly of To understand the q play a significant role in the process of policy claim inside them. However, the claims were relevant issues they conveyed to the public categorized into two types, i.e., Optimistic claims and physicalizing the public views contiguous regardingand Pessimistic opening Claims. of Thus, the news health-related showing the to those issues. This is why because [8] on media, and they further said that the centers/units,positive connotation free-of-cost such medical as announcements camps, job acknowledged that masses do heavily rely announcements in the health sector, and other announcements made by the health officials/ understandingpsychologists alsoof health. believed that media had heavily implicated in the shaping of shared- departmentspractitioners of or the even country politicians were put about in the healthHowever, reporting Hofstede in China conducted and the one United of the States. first improvements to be made in the health comparative content analysis study comparing in health reporting in terms of temporal suchcategory as death, of the disease optimistic diagnosis, claims. and On thestrikes flip orientation,They found controllability some significant attribution, discrepancies use of side, the news showing negative connotation statistics, and citation of authority sources. In Pakistan, no such study on health reporting against health issues (dearth of basic facilities, pessimisticexpensive medicine,claims. and absence of doctors from their duties) were put in the category of has been worked on, even in China, only two Data analysis studies have been identified these are Sun, et al. ses the distribution of the [9] and Zhao, et al. [10]. These studies assessed andthe health-relatedthe later one examined reporting. only The one former newspaper study The Table 1 discus assessed three Chinese newspapers in 2002 total 37 optimistic news according to their went through only the occurrences with which claimsoptimistic were claims about inside the announcements their contents. Though of the from 2003 to 2005. These two studies though free-of-costthe majority medical (24) of camps. the news In the of same optimistic way, means of the health information, neither study 5 news announced the opening of the health variety of health topics were covered and the centers/units, and 5 news announced the jobs like how risk factors and diseases are embodied in the health sector of the country. In the end, andsecured whether any answer there are to vitalany contextualdissimilarities questions in the representation of different sorts of diseases as made by the medical practitioners, politicians, well as risk factors. only 3 news were about the announcements health departments. METHOD and other officials for the improvement in the according to their pessimistic claims inside their employed in the present study to assess the The Table 2 shows the distribution of the news The quantitative content analysis method was of pessimistic claims were about the deaths content analysis of news related to health was contents. However, 33 out of the total 64 news quality of health reporting in Pakistan. The mentioned the diagnosis of certain diseases and this, the sample entailed all the news published from the diseases. In the same vein, 19 news throughoutconducted using the dailywhole The year Nation from newspaper. January For to 12 news mentioned the peoples’ anger in the medicine,form of strikes and absence against of thedoctors. health deficiencies December 2020 in the newspapers. To obtain the such as dearth of basic facilities, expensive requiredJournal of Research data, inarchive Medical andservice Dental for Science the | newspaperVol. 9 | Issue 4 | April 2021 498 Rameez Mahesar, et al. J Res Med Dent Sci, 2021, 9 (4):496-500

Table 1: Distribution of news according to their optimistic claims. Variables Frequency Opening of health centers/units 5 Free-of-cost medical camps 24 Job announcements 5 Announcements made by the medical practitioners, politicians, and other officials for the improvement in the health departments 3 Total 37

Table 2: Distribution of news according to their pessimistic claims. Variables Frequency Death 33 Diagnosis 19 Strikes against dearth of basic facilities, expensive medicine, and absence of doctors 12 Total 64

RESULTS

data was obtained through the archive service foundfor the that selected the frequency newspaper, of health and news 101 though news The present study analyzed and examined discussing health topics were identified. It was the newspaper coverage of health news. The news about health topics were reported in each previous year from January 1 to December 31, was too insufficient, coverage stood nearly 8.5 2020 was chosen as the coverage period for the study. In total, 101 news related to health were month. This low proportion of the health news identified and then they were categorized into identifies three reasons, 1) The reporters are two parts such as those having optimistic claims not interested in covering health phenomenon, and those having pessimistic claims inside their the2) The shortage newspaper of specialized editors do health not usually reporters assign in material. However, optimistic claims included thehealth country topics – to this their could reporters, be worked and 3)on There sooner is the news which carried positive meaning, and than later by the health communication scholars claimspessimistic were found, claims 64 comprised news were theof pessimistic negative in the upcoming times. Although the low meaning. Although 37 news were of optimistic frequency also shows that the newspapers are less interested in reporting the health topics, claims. In the section of news having optimistic they do not seem promoting health system of the claims, the majority (24) of the news were about country. the free-of-cost camps. Whereas in the section diseases.of news having pessimistic claims, the majority (33) of the news were about deaths caused by determining the claims which the news carried DISCUSSION The quality of health reporting was examined by were branched into two parts: optimistic and pessimistic.inside their For material. example. The claims, however,

The mass media these days play an incredibly Islamabad: Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences thesignificant truest sources role in of providing information public regarding with failure clinic and paeds ward for patients, publichealth andhealth medical for both issues the [11].public They and are health also statement(PIMS) cardiac said oncentre Friday. will soon establish heart reporting has the potential to implement a long-termprofessionals tactic, [12]. conferring With this reference,about the healthlong- November 14, 2020. connotationThis piece of for news the sakementions of public the information.establishment term prevention techniques and the effects of of a ward for patients that imparts a positive healthtreatments news as in well. Pakistan Thus, to this assess study the was quality aimed of at investigating the newspaper coverage of connotations were put in the optimistic claim, goal, content analysis of health-related news andHowever, the news the which news fetched which broughtinside them positive the health reporting in newspapers. To meet this of pessimistic claim. For example. in daily The Nation newspaper was conducted negative connotations were put in the category throughoutJournal of Research the in whole Medical yearand Dental – 2020. Science The | Vol. required 9 | Issue 4 | April 2021 499 Rameez Mahesar, et al. J Res Med Dent Sci, 2021, 9 (4):496-500

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