Commenting on Health: A Framing Analysis of User Comments in Response to Health Articles Online

Public health officials have continually urged journalists and other members of the news media to ease off health frames that focus on individuals and to instead promote broader societal frames. Although some scholarly research has reinforced these pleas, none has examined the interplay between frames of health news coverage and resulting public comments. The current online environment invites such an analysis, allowing news organizations to post articles online and the public to comment on those articles. Using a content analysis, this study reveals thematic frames in online health stories may drive down gain-oriented responses, while episodic frames may prompt the public to share more personal comments. Furthermore, the findings examine other textual factors-gain and loss frames and mobilizing information-that may be driving the volume and frames of user comments to health stories online.