The ‘aspirational’ speech of the complementary and alternative medicine therapies in Spanish women’s magazines (2015-2016)
Martí-Sánchez, Myriam y Roger-Monzó, Vanessa (2020): “ El discurso ‘aspiracional’ de las terapias alternativas y complementarias en las revistas femeninas españolas (2015-2016)”. Estudios sobre el Mensaje Periodístico 26 (3), 1067-1078.
Abstract
The aim of this study is to analyze and assess the treatment given by monthly women’s magazines in Spain on information related to Complementary and Alternative Medicine Therapies (CAM) as an alternative to treat the most common ailments amongst women, A content analysis of the ten most read monthly women’s magazines has been carried out, according to data from the General Media Study (3,530,000 monthly circulation between 2016 and March 2017). The sample includes the CAM contents published between January 1st, 2015 and December 31th, 2016. The search provides 96 units of analysis that linked CAM scans to the treatment of some pathology. The results reveal that the published contents present the CAM as occasional remedies for minor ailments and the scarce use of documentary sources to elaborate the contents on these practices is verified. Likewise, the use of unauthorized personal sources or those with a conflict of interest (models and experts in CAM) is used to support this type of contents.
Keywords: Complementary and Alternative Medicine Therapies (CAM); diseases; women’s magazines; agenda-setting.