A Study On The Framework Of The People’s Daily Weibo Report On Depression

Depression is one of the most far-reaching mental illnesses of recent years.Therefore,it is particularly important for the media,especially the mainstream media,to cover depression well.The People’s Daily Weibo first reported "depression" on December 31,2012.This study selects the text of the People’s Daily Weibo depression report from 2012 to November 30,2022 as the research object,and combines it with specific case studies.In this study,the three levels of the People’s Daily microblogging coverage of depression,namely high,medium and low,were studied from both quantitative and qualitative perspectives,and problems existed.The study compares the framework of the People’s Daily’s depression coverage with the framework of audience comments,and proposes a more suitable framework strategy based on the comparison and theories related to health communication,in order to better realize health communication in the new media environment,and to guide public opinion and popularize health knowledge on the topic of depression.This study found that the People’s Daily Weibo depression report was mainly framed in medical terms,the topic of the report was mainly knowledge popularisation,and the sources were mainly the media,with a lack of sustained attention to depression issues.The audience’s depression opinion frame is dominated by a personal frame,and the tao topic focuses on the catharsis of personal emotions,and the expression of emotions is also influenced by the media coverage frame.Microblogging has enhanced interaction with audiences,and audience feedback helps the media choose the topics to cover.By comparing the framework of the People’s Daily coverage with the framework of audience feedback,this study concludes that there are several problems with depression coverage: the failure to consistently focus on depression coverage,the solidification of the coverage framework,and the existence of stereotypes about people with depression.This study proposes some suggestions for the framework of depression coverage on the People’s Daily microblog: to cover depression from multiple perspectives;to break through the solidified framework model;to enhance the professionalism,universality and interest of the issue;and to promote the effectiveness of mainstream media health communication in the new media era.