Information on nosocomial infections in the mainstream media: an opinion document.

This paper seeks to explore the reasons for the low impact of nosocomial infection in the mainstream media and the responsibilities of physicians and journalists in terms of this situation. To this end, a small group of 13 experts met for round-table discussions, including physicians with expertise in nosocomial infection, medical lawsuits and ethics, as well as journalists from major mainstream Spanish media outlets. The various participants were asked a series of questions prior to the meeting, which were answered in writing by one of the speakers and discussed during the meeting by the whole group, the aim being to obtain consensual conclusions for each of them. The document was subsequently reviewed, edited and forwarded to all co-authors for their agreement. The opinions expressed are the personal opinions of the participants and not necessarily those of the institutions in which they work or with which they collaborate.

Contraception in the Spanish press: an analysis of the 1997-2002 period.

OBJECTIVE: Based on the hypothesis that the media represent an important source of information about contraceptive methods and sexuality, this paper reviews the news items about contraception published by four important Spanish newspapers and four women's magazines. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All news items appearing from January 1, 1997 to December 31, 2002 in the following publications: El País, El Mundo, ABC, La Vanguardia, Mía, Clara, Ragazza, and Epoca were collected during the first 6 months of 2003. Results Seven hundred and ten news items about contraception were identified during the period analysed, of which 117 (16.5%) had a negative character. CONCLUSIONS: Over 80% of news items appearing in the Spanish press in the 1997-2002 period give a positive information about contraceptive methods.