title: News and social media: windows into community perspectives on disinvestment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study, in the context of disinvestment related health technology assessment, is to examine whether analysis of Web 2.0--commercial media output, blogs, and discussion forums--can provide an understanding of media framing, community perspectives, and the sociopolitical aspects of an entrenched technology.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thematic analysis of relevant data from fifty-nine media articles, thirty-nine discussion forums, thirteen blogs, and three Facebook pages relating to our case study: public funding for assisted reproductive technology services. Mainstream media and community-based social media responses were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Media responses were narrow, primarily describing emotive individual narratives or the political nexus of interests. Community (including patient) responses were broader including discussion of opportunity cost and vested interests but mostly reflected the polar ends of the debate, diverging strongly for or against disinvestment from public funding.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Web2.0 and media analysis offers an inexpensive method to capture media portrayal, divergent community responses both to that portrayal and independent of it, and insight into the sociopolitical aspects of an entrenched technology undergoing disinvestment debate.
authors: The University of Adelaide-School of Population Health and Clinical Practice Level 7, 178 North Terrace Mail Drop 650 550, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia. jackie.street@adelaide.edu.au
authors: Jackie M
authors: JM
authors: Street
authors: Sophie E
authors: SE
authors: Hennessy
authors: Amber M
authors: AM
authors: Watt
authors: Janet E
authors: JE
authors: Hiller
authors: Adam G
authors: AG
authors: Elshaug
mesh_terms: D057218:Blogging; D005380:Financing, Government / Q000458:organization & administration; D006806:Human Rights; D006801:Humans; D008402:Mass Media; D010290:Parents; D011057:Politics; D011639:Public Opinion; D027724:Reproductive Techniques, Assisted / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology; D061108:Social Media; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013673:Technology Assessment, Biomedical