1. One person's meat is another's poison: representations of the meat-health nexus in UK news media.
- Author
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Mroz, Gilly and Painter, James
- Subjects
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FOOD habits , *EVALUATION of medical care , *STATISTICS , *MEAT , *MASS media , *RESEARCH methodology , *HEALTH status indicators , *SURVEYS , *PLANT-based diet , *RESEARCH funding , *CONTENT analysis , *DEMOGRAPHY , *DATA analysis software , *NUTRITIONAL status - Abstract
Mainstream media play a central role in shaping the ways diet and nutrition are discussed in the public sphere, yet few studies have explored its depictions of the meat-health nexus. Focusing on eight of the most popular news online sites consumed by lower-income groups in the UK—the demographic most likely to eat meat, according to a survey conducted for this study—we carried out content analysis of 128 articles. We found, first, a multiplicity of pro- and anti-meat narratives across all news outlets; second, that the dominant recommendation, found in 40% of our sample, was to eat less or no red meat; and third, that a balanced or neutral sentiment was present in over half of our sample, with a ratio of 3:2 (anti-versus pro-meat) in remaining articles. We found that the editorial leaning of a news outlet was not closely correlated with its overall sentiment towards meat consumption; all were neutral or slightly anti-meat, with the exception of LAD Bible, the only clearly pro-meat outlet. Qualitative analysis uncovered three key themes: the risk of red meat on colorectal cancer, uncertainty around plant-based options, and individual dietary choice. We use case studies guided by these themes to highlight some of the shortcomings of health communication and provide recommendations, with a focus on improved dialogue between journalists and researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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