Burning issues: trends in newspaper coverage of wildfire events and health

The health impacts of wildfire events are a significant public health concern. Media coverage plays a central role in shaping public understanding, guiding risk perception, and influencing policy responses. However, the extent to which health-related dimensions of wildfires are integrated into media narratives remains underexplored.

This study examined global newspaper coverage of wildfire-related health impacts from both quantitative and qualitative perspectives, using the Nexis Uni (LexisNexis) database and its SmartIndexing Technology. The indexed terms included 'forest fires,' 'public health,' and 'mental health' (i.e. Subject[Forest Fires AND Public Health AND Mental Health]), with no limits or language restrictions applied. Thematic content analysis was used to investigate how health impacts of wildfire events were framed and communicated.

A total of 317 newspaper articles covering wildfire events and health were published between 12 August 1993 and 24 April 2025, with media coverage increasing substantially since the late 2010s. Articles increasingly portray wildfire events as public health crisis, incorporating both physiological and psychological health risks. Narrative strategies range from technocratic framings to justice-oriented approaches highlighting Indigenous knowledge. Notably, significant disparities were observed in tone, epistemic grounding, and policy orientation between outlets. Biomedical framings were prevalent, with limited engagement with structural determinants such as climate change.

Media coverage of wildfires has increased and shifted towards a public health framing, but remains uneven and geographically concentrated, raising questions about whether prolonged events in high-net-worth areas disproportionately drive media attention.