Analyzing Web-Based U.S. Media Coverage of Brittany Maynard’s Death

Abstract

This study examined web-based U.S. media coverage of Brittany Maynard’s 2014 decision to exercise Oregon’s right-to-die law. Using framing and information-processing theories such as dual coding, and visual and multimodal processing, the authors identified textual and visual elements of multimedia stories that conveyed cultural frames that shaped Maynard’s story. Findings were consistent with recent studies of print media coverage of the same topic; however, the additional analysis of interactive and static visuals extends those studies.