News Coverage Of Cancer In The Chinese Mainland

The prevalence of cancer is quite serious in contemporary China now. The mass media plays an important role in informing the public the knowledge of cancer prevention, detection and treatment. So that it can help people to set up confidence and positive attitude towards cancer.One content analysis of580cancer stories from one national newspaper Renming Daily (RD), one regional newspaper Chutian Metropolis Daily (CT) and one national news portal SINA News portal in the Chinese mainland was conducted, for the period Dec9th,2011to Dec9th,2012. We aimed to find out how these three Chinese media covered all cancer sites in the frequency and prominence. A comparison between cancer sites in coverage and their actual status in cancer incidence and mortality rates in the Chinese mainland was also performed. And we evaluated how much attention has been given to different cancer topics, such as prevention, detection, treatment. The result indicated that leukemia, breast, cervix cancers were over represented, compared with esophageal, gastric, liver and prostate cancer, which were under represented. Furthermore, cancer treatment was the most reported topic, with low attention to cancer prevention and detection. We concluded that huge distortion existed in Chinese media coverage of cancer sites, and too much focus on cancer treatment while lack of prevention and detection. This may cultivate people form inaccurate knowledge and passive attitude towards cancer.Research questions are divided into four parts:broad description of the cancer in China; reported cancer types and cancer topics; cancer risk and efficacy coverage in these three media; cancer patients’image in the media. Reports the research results show that the cancer to become important in Chinese newspapers reported that meet the following conditions are likely to higher:to help cancer patients to main content; News event topic for cancer patients experience the story or cancer related policies; Reference source for cancer patients and their relatives and friends, medical system and the Chinese government; Emotional framework must be positive. Chutian favor show social assistance stories of ordinary cancer patients, and to show the advanced character of lay particular stress on to continue to work after cancer of the story. The number of cancer risks involved in the reports is not enough, proportion accounts for only about one5. The top five most frequently mentioned cancer risk factors, in turn, are:diet, environment pollution, some specific elements/materials, tobacco, and great pressure."Drinking" not by the Chinese media should pay attention to, and "lack of movement" and "virus" is ignored by the Chinese media. For several important cancer types, Chinese media are partially reflected these cancer types and some high risk factors of the relationship between them, but there is not complete. The Chinese media mention less frequency of collective cancer risk, it is bad for cancer high-risk groups accurately grasp the cognition of cancer risk. In a report on the effectiveness of cancer, cancer performance reports of cancer treatment is mainly, cancer screening is not enough especially for cancer prevention in the media.