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A SECOND CHANCE TO MOTHERHOOD: MEDIA REPRESENTATION OF IN VITRO FERTILISATION (IVF) IN UGANDA
This study analysed media coverage of IVF in Uganda. It examined the content of two Ugandan dailies, New Vision and Daily Monitor and corroborated the findings with in-depth interviews from five senior health and science writers. The main objective of the study was to find out how IVF was represented in the media and the frames adopted by the media while covering IVF. Data was collected using the content analysis for the quantitative study and in-depth interviews from purposively selected respondents in the qualitative study. This research analysed stories published between 2008 - 2018 from both New Vision and Daily Monitor. The study was guided by the framing theory. Data collection and analysis were steered through a sequential mixed methods design. Findings indicated that IVF was rarely reported about in the Ugandan media. Only 50 stories were covered in both New vision and Daily Monitor in the 60 months under study. Thirty-nine stories were from the New Vision, and only 11 stories were published by the Daily Monitor. Stories about IVF were majorly covered as news and hardly occupied the editorial pages. However, the features about IVF were competently represented. IVF was mostly represented as an infertility management intervention with majorly a positive tone, inspiring hope among infertile couples. It was also noted that there are a few embryologists in Uganda which creates a gap of expert sources. Media in Uganda adopted the human-interest frame, the conflict frame, the moral frame, the cost implication frame and the attribution of responsibility frame. For general improvement of IVF coverage in the press, it was recommended that scientists should pitch out new findings to journalists from which they could develop story ideas. And journalists should also look out for scientific journals as these provide a baseline of solid facts about IVF where insightful story ideas can be developed. Like many earlier studies, this study also calls for a better relationship between scientists and health/science reporters. Keywords: IVF, Media, Uganda.
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