An alternative explanation for the results is that the relatively higher level of media exposure and awareness campaigns, including 'stigma busting campaigns', in Australia has sensitised the public to the problem of the stigma of mental illness and created an exaggerated public perception of the level of stigma in the Australian community.
Furthermore, there may also be important cultural determinants as countries like Japan have high levels of media violence but have low levels of crime.
During this time period "youth violence dropped precipitously", the researchers write, "despite maintaining very high levels of media violence in society with the introduction of videogames".
The present studies investigate the impact of high levels of media reporting on the perceptions of disease.
It appears that even with individuals who are medically oriented, the impact of high levels of media frequency remain.
These results suggest that high levels of media reporting can alter our understanding of a disease at a more holistic level than suggested by previous literature.
However, it could be possible that diseases that receive high levels of media attention are, indeed, more severe and have higher disease-like status.
Also, if equal coverage of both frightening and reassuring information are presented in the media at a similar time, individuals will take longer to trust the reassuring information [44], and thus the introduction of high levels of media coverage of possible adverse events should be carefully considered.
Odds ratios across all the models clearly show that when there were high levels of media exposure (which included a television component), the recruitment of participants into the coaching program was less likely than when there was no media exposure (AOR: 0.8, 95% CI: 0.6-0.9 0.6-0.9
A few well-placed pieces of information fed into the higher levels of the media machine -- a few expensive legal somersaults from a few expensive attorneys -- that's all it really takes.
