Coverage of autism spectrum disorder in the US television news: an analysis of framing

Abstract

This study examined television news networks’ coverage of autism in terms of issues, sources, and personal (episodic) or social (thematic) responsibility from the framing perspective. A content analysis was conducted on television news transcripts about autism during the time period from 1990 to 2010. Results found that the top three key issues identified were personal story, child, and cause. Doctors were the most interviewed source, followed by family and autistic people. The personal responsibility frame outnumbered the social one. The correlations between frames and issues suggest that even though the personal responsibility frame is dominant, social responsibility is also emphasized in issues. Other study implications and suggestions are discussed.

Keywords:

• autism
• news framing
• personal responsibility
• social responsibility

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Adolfo Mora for his helpful comments.