Skip to main content

Survivors on Cancer: The portrayal of survivors in print news

Journal of Cancer Survivorship volume 1, pages 298–305 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

Introduction

This study examines the types of news stories that include comments by everyday cancer survivors and the messages or information these individuals provide. Even though these non-celebrity survivors increasingly serve on the front lines of cancer prevention and advocacy efforts and often engage with media, the role they play in the media discourse on cancer has not been a focus of research.

Methods

We conducted a thematic content analysis of print news articles of non-celebrity cancer survivors in 15 leading national daily newspapers for four consecutive months starting in June 2005 to identify the issues or events that included a survivor perspective and the messages or information conveyed by the everyday survivors.

Results

Journalists included survivor commentary primarily when covering cancer fundraising events and when focusing on individual survivorship stories. In overall news coverage involving survivors, breast and prostate cancers received the greatest attention, followed by blood and lung cancers. Survivors spoke mainly about the diagnosis experience and life post-cancer. Our analysis of survivors’ comments revealed that discussions of the diagnosis experience often convey fear and a lack of confidence in cancer screening practices, while cancer is portrayed as a positive life event.

Discussions/Conclusions

While evidence of a positive and hopeful portrayal of survivorship is an encouraging finding for continued efforts to decrease stigma associated with a cancer diagnosis and for the public understanding of the disease, it is important to consider potential negative implications of an idealized and restricted media discourse on survivorship.

Implications for Cancer Survivors

The increasing size and capacity of the survivor community offers opportunities for the cancer advocacy community to consider how news media portrayal of cancer and survivorship may contribute in both positive and potentially detrimental ways to public understanding of this disease, its survivors and life after cancer.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

43,34 €

Price includes VAT (Finland)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

References

  1. Lupton D. Medicine as culture: illness, disease and the body in western societies. London: Sage; 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Clark JN, Everest MM. Cancer in the mass print media: fear uncertainty and the medical model. Soc Sci Med 2006;62:2591–600.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Johnson JD, Meischke H. Women’s preferences for cancer-related information from specific types of mass media. Health Care Women Int 1994;15:23–30.

    PubMed  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Meissner HI, Potosky AL, Convissor R. How sources of health information relate to knowledge about the use of cancer screening exams. J Commun Health 1992;17:153–65.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Wright WR. Mass media as a source of medical information. J Commun 1975;25:171–3.

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Chapman S. Advocacy for public health: a primer. J Epidemiol Commun H 2004;58:361–5.

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Lantz PM, Booth KM. The social construction of the breast cancer epidemic. Soc Sci Med 1998;46:907–18.

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Elliott A, Chapman S. “Heroin hell their own making”: construction of heroin users in the Australian press. Drug Alcohol Rev 2000;19:191–201.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Malone R, Boyd E, Bero LA. Science in the news: journalists’ constructions of passive smoking as a social problem. Soc Stud Sci 2000;30:713–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Dixon-Woods M, Seale C, Young B, Findlay M, Heney D. Representing childhood cancer: accounts from newspapers and parents. Sociol Health Illn 2003;25:143–64.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Clarke JN. Portrayal of childhood cancer in English language magazines in North America, 1970–2001. J Health Commun 2005;10:593–607.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Seale CF. Health and media: an overview. Sociol Health Illn 2003;25:513–31.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Clarke JN. A comparison of breast, testicular and prostate cancer in mass print media (1996–2001). Soc Sci Med 2004;59:541–51.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Clarke JN. Prostate cancer’s hegemonic masculinity in select print mass media depictions 1974–1995. Health Commun 1999;11:59–74.

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Clarke JN. Breast cancer in mass circulation magazines in the USA and Canada 1974–1995. Women Health 1999;28:113–30.

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Clarke JN, Robinson J. Testicular cancer: medicine and machismo in the media 1980–1994. Health 1999;3:263–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Clarke JN. Cancer, heart disease and AIDS: what do the media tell us about these diseases. Health Commun 1992;4:105–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Seale CF. Cancer in the news: religion, fate and justice in news stories about people with cancer. Health 2001;5:445–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Seale CF. Cancer heroics: a study of news reports with particular reference to gender. Sociology 2002;36:107–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Seale CF. Sporting cancer: struggle language in news reports of people with cancer. Sociol Health Illn 2001;23:308–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Casamayou MH. The Politics of Breast Cancer. Washington DC: Georgetown University Press; 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Lane DS, Polednak AP, Burg MA. The impact of media coverage on Nancy Reagan’s experience on breast cancer screening. Am J Public Health 1989;79:1551–2.

    PubMed  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Nattinger AB, Hoffman RG, Howell-Pelz A, Goodwin JS. Effect of Nancy Reagan’s mastectomy on choice if surgery for breast cancer by US women. JAMA 1998;279:762–6.

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Chapman S, McLeod K, Wakefield M, Holding S. Impact of news of celebrity illness of breast cancer screening: Kylie Minogue’s breast cancer diagnosis. Med J Aust 2005;183:247–50.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Larson RJ, Woloshin S, Schwartz LM, Welch HG. Celebrity endorsement of cancer screening. J Natl Cancer Inst 2005;97:693–5.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Cram P, Fendrick AM, Inadomi J, Cowen ME, Carpenter D, Vijan S. The impact of a celebrity promotional campaign on the use of colon cancer screening. Arch Intern Med 2003;163:1601–3.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Van Dijk T. Imagination: popular images of genetics. New York: New York University Press; 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Langer J. Tabloid television: popular journalism and the ‘other news’. London: Routledge; 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  29. American Cancer Society. Cancer facts and figures 2007. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2007.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Institute of Medicine. From cancer patient to cancer survivor: lost in transition. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press; 2005.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Altheide DL. Qualitative media analysis. Thousand Oaks: Sage; 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Altheide DL. The news media, the problem frame and the production of fear. Sociol Q 1997;38:646–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Smith KC, Wakefield M. Textual analysis of tobacco editorials: how are key media gatekeepers framing the issues? Am J Health Promot 2005;19:361–8.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. National Cancer Institute, Office of Cancer Survivorship. About cancer survivorship research: Survivorship Definitions. (Last updated 11/6/06). Accessed January 21, 2007, from http://dccps.nci.nih.gov/ocs/definitions.html.

  35. Smith KC, McLeod K, Wakefield M. Australian letters to the editor on tobacco: triggers, rhetoric and claims of legitimate voice. Qual Health Res 2005;15:1180–98.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  36. O’Hare P. Houston set to shine as EPA’s first SunWise city; Pilot program intends to teach about the dangers of overexposure. Houston Chronicle. August 3, 2005:B3.

  37. Macinnis R. Routine physical pays off; Kerr proof that prostate cancer can strike at age 41. Houston Chronicle. June 16, 2005:10.

    Google Scholar 

  38. Oza R. Liu making no bones about marrow need. New York Daily News. June 24, 2005:1.

  39. Pazdur’s Cancer Rules. Wall Street Journal. July 6, 2005:A14.

    Google Scholar 

  40. Woodberry W. Row with punches. Cancer survivors’ next battle: a dragon race. New York Daily News. August 2, 2005:1.

  41. Devlin NH. Unbreakable spirit Daniel Steefel beat cancer to become an accomplished athlete and valedictorian at Littleton High School. Denver Post. June 26, 2005:B28.

    Google Scholar 

  42. Turner A. Cancer survivor still fighting the disease. Houston Chronicle. September 10, 2005:B2.

    Google Scholar 

  43. Kurp P. Cyclists promote cancer research; national tour raises awareness of the importance of clinical trials. Houston Chronicle. September 29, 2005:B2.

  44. Kerwin K. Denverite to ride with Armstrong; cancer survivor picked as cyclist in cross-country relay. Denver Post. September 27, 2005:24A.

    Google Scholar 

  45. Casteneda K. Disease brings new focus on life; community aids family while man fights rare cancer. Houston Chronicle. September 1, 2005:5.

    Google Scholar 

  46. Foreman J. A diagnosis of cancer is trying for any marriage. Boston Globe. August 22, 2005:C1.

    Google Scholar 

  47. Brody JE. Nourishing hope when illness seems hopeless. New York Times. September 6, 2005:6.

  48. Entwistle V, Watt IS, Bradbury R, Pehl IJ. Media coverage of the Child B case. BMJ 1996;312:1587–91.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  49. Martin D. Survey: many assume they can’t control cancer risk. CNN online. January 22, 2007. Available at: http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/01/11/cancer.attitudes/index.html. Accessed January 24, 2007.

Download references

Acknowledgment

This research was supported by funding from the American Cancer Society (RSGHP-04-206-01) and by Dr. Smith’s Richard L. Gelb Fellowship for Cancer Prevention. We thank Samantha Cogar Farrell for her initial coding of the news data.

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Elizabeth Edsall Kromm & Rachel Friedman Singer

  2. Department of Health, Behavior, and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway, Room 726, Baltimore, MD, 21205-1996, USA

    Katherine Clegg Smith

Authors
  1. Elizabeth Edsall Kromm
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Katherine Clegg Smith
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Rachel Friedman Singer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Katherine Clegg Smith.

Additional information

The first author of this manuscript is herself a cancer survivor.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kromm, E.E., Smith, K.C. & Singer, R.F. Survivors on Cancer: The portrayal of survivors in print news. J Cancer Surviv 1, 298–305 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-007-0033-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-007-0033-y

Keywords

  • News media
  • Survivors
  • Qualitative research
  • Cancer