The Social Construction of Breast Cancer in Mass Media and Its Influence on Public Understanding and Citizen Decision-Making
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to assess the ways in which mass media play a significant role in constructing the public's understanding of breast cancer as a social problem, a disease, and personal illness experience. This second annual report contains results of three major topics. First is print media depictions of breast cancer from 1976-1985. During this period a rhetoric of scientific progress continued, while simultaneously, the public critique of medicine strengthened. Against a social context that promoted the cosmetic, sexual breast, breast cancer activism evolved and the media shifted its emphasis from patient choice to consumer responsibility. Second is an examination of mammography as depicted in popular print media from 1993-1999, in which a public controversy about the efficacy of this technology for women between forty and fifty dominated the news, with an emphasis on how science is influenced by politics. Third is an analysis of the relation between breast cancer and hormone replacement therapy as depicted in popular print media from 1993-1999. Confusion about conflicting studies, whether taking postmenopausal hormones is a natural process, the credibility of experts, and how to balance personal risks and benefits continues to command the public's attempt to understand this complex issue.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA382465
Entities
People
- Barbara F. Sharf
Organizations
- University of Illinois at Chicago