Is the media providing a fair and accurate portrayal of injured workers and workers’ compensation? And how do their representations shape public opinion? A recent study and an offensive cartoon give cause for concern.
In their article “If It Bleeds, It Leads: The Construction of Workplace Injury in Canadian Newspapers, 2009–2014” (International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, Jun. 2015), Athabasca University’s Bob Barnetson and Jason Foster find the nature of workplace injuries is often misunderstood by the media.
Comparing press reporting of workplace injuries with the actual official injury statistics (claims data from the Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada), the study authors conclude newspapers “dramatically over-report” fatalities, injuries to men, injuries in the construction and mining/quarrying/oil industries and acute physical and traumatic injuries… “Basically, newspapers construct injuries as things that violently kill blue-collar men.”
In addition, results of the quantitative content analysis of 245 English-language Canadian newspapers found that reporters tend to rely on government, police/firefighter, and employer accounts, with the perspectives of workers rarely given.
This bias in newspaper report of injury creates a misleading picture of the nature of workplace injury which may not only result in inadequate safety measures but distort public perceptions of injured workers, particularly those whose injuries are “invisible”.
A just-published Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives report, “Work Injuries, Chronic Pain and the Harmful Effects of WorkSafeBC/WCB Compensation Denial” (Jun. 8, 2015) provides vivid examples of the impact of such misunderstandings. Lead author and medical specialist Cecil Hershler describes the experiences of injured workers with work-related musculoskeletal injuries facing a struggle to have the legitimacy of their injuries recognized. “Misconceptions and negative stereotypes about chronic pain abound among the general public, employers, government agencies and insurance companies and, sadly, among medical professionals as well. Patients with severe chronic pain who have no identifiable other signs of illness or injury are rarely believed… Stigma and disparagement …are demoralizing, hinder healing, lead to depression and make life worse in many ways.”
It’s just a cartoon?
Well, not really. Cartoons which mock the injured worker as ‘faking it’ perpetuate a false stereotype that is personally offensive – and undermines public understanding and support for a fair workers’ compensation system. Which is why the cartoon recently published in the Ottawa Citizen drew a quick and sharp response from the Canadian Injured Workers Alliance. Karl Crevar, CIWA’s Ontario representative, encourages others in the community to let the newspaper know their opinion.
Positive media power
In-depth investigative reporting, such as Toronto Star’s “Working Wounded” series, fuels informed debate and helps bring about needed reforms. Similarly, strong public response to revelations of the recent NPR/ProPublica investigations into the steady demolition of the U.S. workers’ compensation systems drew policymaker attention, and caused the International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions) to call on its members for good-news stories…