Background to the Research
The aim of this research article was to discover, using the Factiva database, how frequently Papua New Guinea’s Post-Courier, one of the largest selling newspapers in the Pacific, covered prominent health issues namely HIV, malaria and diabetes between 2007 and 2017. Also, it tries to determine if there was a discernible pattern in the number of articles and content with previous studies on health coverage, in this case HIV, from 1987-2007. As Factiva did not hold any archives for PNG’s other major newspaper—The National—it was excluded from this analysis. While there are marked similarities with earlier studies, the dramatic decline of health stories from 2013 onwards is a cause for concern.
About the Author
Dr Trevor Cullen (PhD) is Professor of Journalism at Edith Cowan University in Perth, Western Australia. Trevor is recognised as a national and international leader in the field of HIV/health Journalism and Journalism education. He has received several University and national teaching and research awards. These include two Australian Government awards – A National Teaching and Learning Fellowship (NTF) and the Australian Award for University Teaching. (AAUT).