News media coverage of the U.S. social safety net: themes and gaps from a scoping review

The social safety net, the set of policies and programs designed to improve the quality of life of individuals facing periodic or persistent financial hardship, is critical to improving population health. Despite strong evidence of its importance, policy investments in the social safety net in the United States continue to face political obstacles. One important contributor to the political dynamics of issues is public opinion, which can be shaped - for better or worse - by the news media. By reporting on, interpreting, and contextualizing policy issues, the news media play a key role in shaping public understanding of social issues.

In this scoping review, we summarize cross-disciplinary literature that examined news media coverage of social safety net issues (N = 40 studies).

We find that news coverage often focuses on individual stories and infrequently connects to broader, systemic issues, missing the opportunity to garner public support for the social safety net. Across studies, authors seldom note the implications of their work for journalistic practice nor for health equity.

Future work should examine how population health research evidence can be shared with journalists and news producers for more comprehensive media attention to the safety net within the context of the constraints news producers face.