Abstract
The rise in Turkish people’s violent behaviors has extended to health workers as well and news on physical assaults and fatalities has begun to be reported occasionally by the media. Yet –as it always does- because of the dramatization and tabloidization of violence by media, the violence problem has been trivialized by digressing from the heart of the matter. This study is about how violence news about health workers is reported in newspapers. For this purpose, 34 news reports related to health area in two internet sites were analyzed. News was analyzed with the dimensions of the actors, news sources, places where violence happened, the reason of the violence and the metaphors used. According to the results; news texts are prepared with the information collected by correspondents. No expert opinions were cited in one third (35,2 %) of the news, and the only information source about the violence was the doctor who had been subject to violence. The violence occurred mostly in state hospitals (50%), followed by112 Emergency Ambulance Service (32,3%). The main reason of the violence was dissatisfaction with the doctor’s diagnosis and his/her clinical interventions. The reporting style was sensational and tabloidized. Many metaphors were used in the news.
Highlights
In recent years, the violent news in the Turkish media has been on the rise so much so that, due to the way they happen or the actor(s) involved in such violent acts, they may occupy the public agenda for days on end
This study focuses on how the violence arising from the communication problems between health workers and patients/patient relatives is reported in newspapers
The study covers the period between 15.04.2012 and 15.06.2012, and comprises the news regarding violence against health workers reported by the websites http://www.personelsaglik.com.tr/ and http://www.saglikcilar.net/. 34 news texts reported by these websites have been analyzed on the basis of the five analysis dimensions given in the aim section
Summary
The violent news in the Turkish media has been on the rise so much so that, due to the way they happen or the actor(s) involved in such violent acts, they may occupy the public agenda for days on end. It’s almost as if the Turkish people are living day in and day out with extremely worrisome news and images of violence broadcast to their homes. Besides increasing in their number, these news reports vary greatly by the type of violence, scene, perpetrators and the method they report. In this regard, health workers may face all kinds of violence including threats, physical assaults, physical injury, and even death. Health workers live in anxiety and fear (SağlıkSen, 2013)
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