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Volume 23, Number 1—January 2017
Dispatch

Media Messages and Perception of Risk for Ebola Virus Infection, United States

Tara Kirk SellComments to Author , Crystal Boddie, Emma E. McGinty, Keshia Pollack, Katherine Clegg Smith, Thomas A. Burke, and Lainie Rutkow
Author affiliations: UPMC Center for Health Security, Baltimore, Maryland, USA (T.K. Sell, C. Boddie); Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore (T.K. Sell, C. Boddie, E.E. McGinty, K. Pollack, K.C. Smith, L. Rutkow); United States Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA (T.A. Burke)

Main Article

Table

Risk-related news media messages about Ebola virus disease, July–November 2014*

Messages News stories with message, %
Print and TV, n = 1,262† Ebola case/local controversy, n = 655‡ National, no Ebola case/ controversy, 
n = 607§ Conservative, 
n = 302¶ Liberal, 
n = 595# Print,
n = 1,109** TV,
n = 153††
That could increase perception of risk
Lack of/limited availability of countermeasures to stop Ebola 17 13 21 
(p<0.001) 11 19 (p<0.01) 17 20
  Ebola causes deaths 66 64 68 70 65 66 65
  Potential US outbreak/persons in the United States contracting Ebola 35 33 36 35 33 34 41
  Inability to stop transmission/outbreak in the United States 7 4 9 
(p<0.01) 4 6 6 7
  Growth of the Ebola epidemic 23 17 30 
(p<0.001) 14 26 (p<0.001) 21 36 (p<0.001)
  Science does not understand Ebola (e.g., previous knowledge about the disease was wrong or expert advice was incorrect) 8 8 8 7 9 7 13 (p<0.05)
  Ebola’s potential use in terrorism or as a biologic weapon 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
  Ebola has an incubation period 34 34 35 37 33 33 43 (p<0.05)
  Foreigners or travelers bringing Ebola to the United States
72
71
74
72
70
71
79 (p<0.05)
That could decrease perception of risk
  Lower Ebola death rates in the United States 5 4 6 3 4 4 10 (p<0.001)
  Ability to stop transmission/outbreak in the United States 20 16 24 
(p<0.01) 24 17 (p<0.01) 18 30 (p<0.01)
  Low risks related to Ebola (e.g., low risk of the disease coming to the United States, low risk of someone transmitting the disease, low risks of school children acquiring Ebola) 28 25 30 25 27 26 42 (p<0.001)
  How to prevent spread of Ebola 12 12 13 12 10 11 20 (p<0.05)
  Description of scientific knowledge about Ebola (e.g., transmission dynamics or other known aspects of the disease) 32 30 33 29 30 31 35

*Time frame selected to capture potential differences before and after key US Ebola events. χ2 tests were used to test differences in the proportion of news stories mentioning each Ebola-related message in compared news sources.
†Sources included in all news stories: Atlanta Journal Constitution, Chicago Tribune, CNN Situation Room, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fox Special Report, NBC Nightly News, New York Daily News, New York Times, Orange County Register, Portland Press Herald, USA Today, and Washington Post.
‡New sources with an Ebola case or controversy in the locality: Atlanta Journal Constitution, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, New York Daily News, New York Times, and Portland Press Herald.
§Nationally produced new sources or those without an Ebola case or controversy in the locality: Chicago Tribune, CNN Situation Room, Fox Special Report, NBC Nightly News, Orange County Register, USA Today, and Washington Post.
¶Conservative news sources: Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fox Special Report, and New York Daily News.
#Liberal news sources: Chicago Tribune, New York Times, and Washington Post.
**Print news sources: Atlanta Journal Constitution, Chicago Tribune, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, New York Daily News, New York Times, Orange County Register, Portland Press Herald, USA Today, and Washington Post.
††TV news sources: CNN Situation Room, Fox Special Report, and NBC Nightly News.

Main Article

Page created: December 14, 2016
Page updated: December 14, 2016
Page reviewed: December 14, 2016
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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