How organ donation is represented in newspaper articles in the United States

A media agenda setting study was conducted to examine how newspaper stories frame the topic of organ and tissue donation. Seven hundred fifteen stories on organ and tissue donation from 20 newspapers dated 2002 or 2003 were content-analyzed for valence (i.e., positive, negative, or neutral toward organ donation) and topic (e.g., living donation, transplant process, celebrity donor/recipient). The 20 newspapers were chosen by circulation and electronic access of database. Four of the top 5 and 13 of the top 20 circulating newspapers were included and several combinations of search terms were used to identify relevant articles. Results indicate that the majority of articles were either positive (57%) or neutral (29%) regarding the topic of organ donation. The 4 most common topics covered in news articles included: (a) posttransplantation health and welfare, (b) information on the shortage of organ donors, (c) living donation, and (d) information about the transplantation process. Kidneys (n = 204) and hearts (n = 120) were the 2 most commonly mentioned organs in the sample of articles. Results are discussed and how news articles may shape laypersons' attitudes and intentions regarding organ donation is considered.