Informing the Public? UK Newspaper Reporting of Autism and Asperger's Syndrome

An extensive survey of five leading UK newspapers reveals wide-ranging variation in coverage, from a tendency to rely on medical establishment sources in some to an apparently pro-choice, anti-establishment campaign in others but, generally, a neglect of the perspective of articulate autistics themselves. Based on an enhanced content analysis of all (179) reports on autism or Asperger's syndrome, over the 12 months of 2006, in "The Daily Telegraph" (London), "Daily Mail" (London), "The Sun" (London), "Herald" (Glasgow) and "Daily Record" (Glasgow), the findings are discussed using Hermann and Chomsky's "Propaganda Model" and Shoemaker and Reese's "Hierarchy of Influences Model."