Public health framing in local media coverage of crashes involving pedestrians or bicyclists in Hawai‘i, 2019: A content analysis

Abstract

Media coverage of traffic crashes involving people walking and bicycling tends to frame crashes as isolated events rather than as a public health problem that disproportionately affects vulnerable populations. This study assessed public health framing in local media coverage of traffic crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists in Hawai‘i. We systematically searched the websites of all major local news sources (newspapers and local television stations) to identify articles about Hawai‘i traffic crashes involving pedestrians/bicyclists that were published in 2019. Using content analysis, we extracted information on title and article attributes, crash details, language patterns, and public health framing elements. After screening 738 news articles for inclusion, 162 articles comprised the final sample. These articles reported on 164 crash events, representing 57 unique crash events. Most articles described the crashes factually as isolated events. Language patterns in article titles were non-agentive (77%) and focused on the pedestrian or bicyclist (77%) without mentioning the driver or vehicle (69%). When articles ascribed agents, vehicles (53%) were mentioned more often than drivers (13%). One-quarter of articles contained a counterfactual that subtly assigned responsibility for the crash to the person walking or bicycling. About 15% of articles described a traffic safety solution. These findings serve as a benchmark for local media coverage and can be used to inform state-level actions to improve local media reporting. Media coverage that considers the contextual and systematic factors contributing to the crash could better support local government policy change to protect pedestrians and bicyclists.