Table 4.
Physicians’ perceptions toward journalists (N=219).
| Variable | Strongly disagree, n (%) | Slightly disagree, n (%) | Neither agree nor disagree, n (%) | Slightly agree, n (%) | Strongly agree, n (%) | P valuea |
| Journalists often write and publish news on the health sector without having adequate knowledge about it | 0 (0) | 9 (4.1) | 14 (6.4) | 33 (15.1) | 163 (74.4) | .26 |
| Journalists often write and publish news stories based on their preconceived ideas | 0 (0) | 2 (0.9) | 28 (12.8) | 34 (15.5) | 155 (70.8) | .44 |
| Journalists often prepare news stories on their own first and then talk to physicians | 1 (0.5) | 2 (0.9) | 36 (16.4) | 30 (13.7) | 150 (68.5) | <.001 |
| Journalists often do not try to understand the real situation or the underlying meaning of a medical situation; rather, they are more interested in what they want to know | 1 (0.5) | 3 (1.4) | 5 (2.3) | 28 (12.8) | 182 (83.1) | .63 |
| In most cases, journalists present a distorted picture of health professionals and health care services | 0 (0) | 4 (1.8) | 4 (1.8) | 27 (12.3) | 184 (84.0) | .48 |
| The media always publish biased information on the health sector and health professionals | 0 (0) | 2 (0.9) | 5 (2.3) | 25 (11.4) | 187 (85.4) | .13 |
| Journalists often present health and medical information in a sensational way | 1 (0.5) | 1 (0.5) | 2 (0.9) | 25 (11.4) | 190 (86.8) | .002 |
| Journalists often use the term “wrong treatment” without considering the context or details | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1 (0.5) | 17 (7.8) | 201 (91.8) | .004 |
| In most cases, journalists incorrectly quote physicians or health care professionals in their news stories | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 6 (2.7) | 23 (10.5) | 190 (86.8) | .32 |
| Journalists often tend to publish news stories on health care professionals and health care services without adequate verification | 0 (0) | 1 (0.5) | 2 (0.9) | 22 (10.1) | 194 (88.6) | <.001 |
| I am afraid of talking to journalists as they do not know how to ask questions objectively/neutrally | 1 (0.5) | 7 (3.2) | 8 (3.7) | 22 (10.1) | 181 (82.7) | .01 |
| Journalists tend to believe that most physicians are not qualified and inhumane | 0 (0) | 1 (0.5) | 8 (3.7) | 22 (10.1) | 188 (85.8) | <.001 |
aWilcoxon signed-rank test.