title: Media Portrayal of the Nursing Homes Sector: A Longitudinal Analysis of 51 U.S. Newspapers.
abstract: Most Americans' low opinion of the nursing home (NH) sector could derive, in part, from the way in which it is portrayed in the media. This study furthers understanding of media portrayal of the NH sector by identifying how NHs were depicted in 51U.S. newspapers from 1999 to 2008.
  
  
  
  Keyword searches of the LexisNexis database were performed to identify 16,280 NH-related articles. Article content was analyzed, and tone, themes, prominence, and central actor were assessed. Basic frequencies and descriptive statistics were used to examine article content across regions, market type, and over time.
  
  
  
  Findings reveal considerably less NH coverage in the Western United States and a steady decline in NH coverage nationally over time. Most articles were news stories; more than one third were located on the front page of the newspaper or section. Most articles focused on NH industry and government interests, very few on residents/family and community concerns. Most articles were neutral or negative in tone; very few were positive or mixed. Common themes included quality, financing, and legal concerns. Tone, themes, and other article attributes varied across region, market type, and over time.
  
  
  
  Overall, findings reveal changes in how newspapers framed NH coverage, not only with respect to tone but also with respect to what dimensions of this complex issue have been emphasized during the time period analyzed. Variation in media coverage may contribute to differences in government and public views toward the NH sector across regions and over time.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gerontology, John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies, University of Massachusetts Boston.|Gerontology Institute, John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies, University of Massachusetts Boston.|Center for Gerontology and Healthcare Research, School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.|Department of Health Services, Policy and Practice, School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.
authors.forename: Edward Alan
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: Department of Gerontology, John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies, University of Massachusetts Boston.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Livingstone
authors.affiliation: Department of Gerontology, John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies, University of Massachusetts Boston.
authors.forename: Corina R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Ronneberg
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination; D008389:Marketing of Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008402:Mass Media; D009524:Newspapers as Topic; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000592:standards*; D011639:Public Opinion; D014481:United States
keywords: Agenda setting; Content analysis; Long-term care; Nursing facilities