Death and the Media

Infectious Disease Reporting During the Health Transition

Datos Bibliográficos

ID9727184
AutoresDora L Costa (0000-0002-0874-7366, University of California, Los Angeles), Matthew E Kahn (0000-0002-3334-9132, NBER)
Año2017
Volumen84
Número335
Páginas393-416
Fecha de publicación2017-07-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaEconomica (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0013-0427 • E-ISSN: 1468-0335
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/ecca.12227
PMID28695217
OpenAlexW2593492744
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas5
Referencias citadas41

In the late 19th century, cities in Western Europe and the USA suffered from high levels of infectious disease. Over a 40‐year period, there was a dramatic decline in infectious disease deaths in cities. As such objective progress in urban quality of life took place, how did the media report this trend? At that time, newspapers were the major source of information educating urban households about the risks that they faced. By constructing a unique panel database, we find that news reports were positively associated with government‐announced typhoid mortality counts, and the size of this effect actually grew after local governments made large investments in public water works to reduce typhoid rates. News coverage was more responsive to unexpected increases in death rates than to unexpected decreases in death rates

Advertising · Business · Disease · Economics · Environmental health · Geography · Government (linguistics) · Infectious disease (medical specialty) · Mortality rate · Newspaper · Political science · Public health · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Typhoid fever · COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts · Culture, Economy, and Development Studies · Demography · Media Influence and Politics · Medicine