Stigma in the News: the Representation and Trivialization of Stigma in U.S. News Publications.

Stigma represents an important social issue, one rooted in communication. The present study used a quantitative content analysis to examine the representation of the term stigma in one national and six regional news publications in the United States between 2000 and 2018. In the 1,524 stories examined, journalists explicitly defined stigma once. Stigma was discussed in relation to serious, often dehumanized conditions such as schizophrenia, substance abuse, and HIV/AIDS. However, journalists and news sources frequently trivialized stigma by referencing it in relation to bad football teams, food, motor vehicles, and other objects that do not experience the full impact of stigma: stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination.