Computational Linguistics and Media News: Linguistic Features and Lexical Choices with Time-frequency Statistical Analysis

Abstract

Media has a critical role in shaping attitudes and public understanding toward mental health. The handling of news on mental health conditions in media comes with intrinsic challenges, some of which are due to the use of language. Language, lexical choices and contexts which the lexical items are attributed to can bring about different effects like stigmatizing and otherizing perceptions or trivializing severe mental health conditions. Hence, language used in media is influential, particularly in health communication which is targeted toward public with the source being represented by health communicators and journalists. In view of these aspects, the present study aims to examine the use of language in print media based on the lexical analyses, including the use of adjectives, nominalizations and connotations, based on theoretical and quantitative dimensions, which are content analysis regarding linguistic features and time-frequency statistical analysis. The dataset contains 725 newspaper articles on mental health and psychological problems, published in six different Turkish national newspapers over a six-year period. The results of the computational linguistic-based analyses belonging to the proposed model show that negative descriptions, attributions and connotations regarding people with mental health disorders outnumber the positive ones. Another aim of the study concerns whether reporting language on mental health conditions is consistent with what has been suggested by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). The results obtained reveal that some lexical choices, particularly certain adjectives and nominalized phrases used in the reporting language, are not in agreement with APA's recommendations. In brief, it has been aimed at pinpointing reporting language in journalistic practices using accurate, responsible and empathic language for mental health reporting and more balanced press coverage concerning mental problems and individuals with mental conditions. This aim can further be oriented towards other media where various genres and styles of language are used across different disciplines.