THE SPECIFICS OF THE COVERAGE OF HEALTH PROBLEMS IN RUSSIAN AND FOREIGN MEDIA

Abstract

The article examines the specifics of the coverage of health problems in Russian and foreign mass media. The relevance of this topic is due to the fact that healthcare is one of the key areas of society’s life, and the way the media covers related issues can have a significant impact on public opinion and decisions made. The purpose of the study is to identify the features of presenting information about health problems in Russian and foreign media, as well as to conduct a comparative analysis of approaches to covering this topic. The study analyzed publications on health issues in leading Russian and foreign media in 2018–2022. The total number of reviewed materials is 1,247, of which 624 are published in Russia, and 623 abroad. Methods of content analysis, discourse analysis, comparative analysis, as well as elements of statistical analysis are used. The study reveals significant differences in the approaches of Russian and foreign media to covering health problems. It has been found that in the Russian media this topic is covered mainly in a negative way: the emphasis is on the shortcomings of the healthcare system, such as lack of funding (mentioned in 74.2% of publications), shortage of medical personnel (69.1%), unsatisfactory state of infrastructure (58.6%). At the same time, a more balanced approach is observed in foreign media: along with highlighting problems, attention is also paid to positive aspects, such as the introduction of new technologies (present in 47.4% of publications), successes in the treatment of certain diseases (39.2%), initiatives to increase the availability of medical care (35.7%). In addition, differences in thematic accents are revealed: if the Russian media focuses on problems of financing and organization of healthcare, then the issues of quality of medical care and innovation are of greater interest in foreign publications.