Public Health News Analysis: A Study of NewsAPI Data, April 4–May 4, 2025

This essay contains two analyses - general and public health news.

[Public Health News]

By Grok under the supervision of Dr. Williams

Abstract

This study analyzes public health-related news headlines retrieved via NewsAPI for the period of April 4, 2025, to May 4, 2025, using a targeted query to enhance relevance. Employing both narrow and broad definitions of public health, the research addresses four objectives: quantifying the total articles generated, determining the proportion of public health-related articles, categorizing these articles by their impact (negative, neutral, positive), and synthesizing findings into a comprehensive report. The query produced 33,875 articles, with a sample of 100 analyzed. Results indicate that 31% of the sample (31 articles) were public health-related under a broad definition, with 54.8% exhibiting negative impacts, 19.4% neutral, and 25.8% positive. These findings highlight the diverse public health narratives in media and the efficacy of a refined query in capturing relevant content.

Introduction

Public health encompasses a multifaceted domain, including disease prevention, health policy, mental health, social determinants, and technological interventions, all of which are shaped by media coverage. This study leverages NewsAPI to examine public health news from April 4, 2025, to May 4, 2025, building on prior analyses that identified limited public health content with broad queries. The research responds to four questions: the total number of articles generated, the proportion of public health-related articles under narrow and broad definitions, their impact categorization (negative, neutral, positive), and the integration of results into a cohesive report. The query used specific public health keywords (q="public health" OR healthcare OR disease OR vaccine OR outbreak OR "mental health" OR "food safety" OR "health policy" OR "health equity" OR epidemiology, from=2025-04-04, to=2025-05-04, language=en, pageSize=100, page=1), yielding 33,875 articles, with a 100-article sample analyzed.

Methodology

A systematic content analysis was conducted on a NewsAPI JSON response containing 100 articles. Two public health definitions were applied: a narrow definition, focusing on direct health issues (e.g., diseases, health policy, mental health, healthcare ethics), and a broad definition, incorporating social determinants (e.g., violence, education), health technology, environmental health, and policies affecting health access (e.g., media funding). Articles were identified as public health-related by reviewing titles, descriptions, and content. Impact was categorized as negative (harmful to health), neutral (balanced or ambiguous), or positive (beneficial to health). Dataset-wide estimates were extrapolated from sample proportions. Limitations included NewsAPI’s free-tier constraints (100 articles per request, 100 requests per day) and potential biases from the publishedAt sorting default, which prioritized recency over relevance.

Results

The NewsAPI query generated 33,875 articles, with 100 analyzed. Under the narrow definition, 22 articles (22%) were public health-related, covering disease outbreaks, health policy, mental health, and food safety. The broad definition increased this to 31 articles (31%), incorporating health technology, community safety, and social determinants. Categories included: disease outbreaks (2 articles), health policy (5 articles), mental health (7 articles), food safety (1 article), health technology/supplements (8 articles), community safety/social determinants (2 articles), environmental health (1 article), and preventive health (5 articles). Impact analysis showed 17 articles (54.8%) with negative impacts (e.g., health funding cuts, measles outbreaks), 6 articles (19.4%) neutral (e.g., mental health discussions), and 8 articles (25.8%) positive (e.g., cancer diagnosis tech, vaccine benefits). Extrapolating to the dataset, approximately 10,501 articles (31%) may be public health-related, with 5,754 negative, 2,037 neutral, and 2,710 positive.

Discussion

The increased proportion of public health articles (31% vs. 13% in prior analyses) reflects the efficacy of the targeted query, which captured diverse issues like measles outbreaks, mental health initiatives, and health policy cuts. The predominance of negative impact articles (54.8%) aligns with media tendencies to highlight crises (e.g., pediatric flu deaths, healthcare lawsuits), though positive articles (25.8%) underscore advancements (e.g., semaglutide for liver disease). The broad definition enriched the analysis by including social determinants (e.g., child trafficking) and health technology (e.g., CBD supplements), resonating with holistic public health frameworks. The publishedAt sorting, default due to the query’s structure, ensured recency but may have diluted relevance compared to a sortBy=relevancy approach. Limitations include the sample’s potential non-representativeness and free-tier restrictions, necessitating pagination for full dataset analysis.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that a targeted NewsAPI query significantly enhances the identification of public health-related news, with 31% of the sample addressing health issues under a broad definition. The balanced distribution of negative (54.8%), neutral (19.4%), and positive (25.8%) impacts highlights both challenges and innovations in public health. These findings contribute to understanding media’s role in shaping health narratives and inform strategies for health communication. Future research could refine queries further or access additional pages to capture a broader dataset, deepening insights into public health trends.

Results appears at this end of this essay

[General News]

Abstract 

By Grok under the supervision of Dr. Williams

This study analyzes news headlines retrieved via NewsAPI to assess public health-related content from April 4, 2025, to May 4, 2025. Utilizing a broad definition of public health, the research addresses four objectives: determining the total number of articles generated, identifying public health-related articles under narrow and broad definitions, categorizing these articles by their impact (negative, neutral, positive), and synthesizing findings into a comprehensive report. The query yielded 181,521 articles, with a sample of 100 analyzed. Results indicate that 13% of the sample (13 articles) were public health-related under a broad definition, with 69.2% exhibiting negative impacts, 7.7% neutral, and 23.1% positive. These findings highlight the prevalence of adverse public health narratives and the utility of an expansive public health framework.

Introduction

Public health encompasses a wide array of factors influencing population well-being, including disease prevention, health policy, social determinants, and technological advancements. News media play a critical role in shaping public perceptions of health issues, often highlighting crises or innovations. This study leverages NewsAPI, a digital news aggregation platform, to examine public health coverage from April 4, 2025, to May 4, 2025. The analysis responds to four research questions: the total number of articles generated, the proportion of public health-related articles under varying definitions, their categorization by impact, and the synthesis of results into a research report. The query parameters were q=news, from=2025-04-04, to=2025-05-04, language=en, pageSize=100, and page=1, yielding 181,521 articles, with a 100-article sample analyzed.

Methodology

The study employed a systematic content analysis of a NewsAPI JSON response containing 100 articles. Dr. Christopher Williams generated a free API to generate results. Two definitions of public health were applied: a narrow definition encompassing direct health topics (e.g., diseases, health policy, mental health, healthcare ethics) and a broad definition incorporating social determinants (e.g., violence, education), health technology, environmental health, and policies affecting health access (e.g., media funding). Articles were identified as public health-related by reviewing titles, descriptions, and content. Impact was categorized as negative (harmful to health), neutral (ambiguous or balanced), or positive (beneficial to health). Estimates for the full dataset were derived by extrapolating sample proportions. Limitations included the free-tier constraint of 100 articles per request and the broad q=news query, which diluted health-related content.

Results

The NewsAPI query generated 181,521 articles, with 100 articles analyzed. Under the narrow definition, 8 articles (8%) were public health-related, covering environmental health, mental health, healthcare policy, food safety, and disease outbreaks. Expanding to the broad definition increased this to 13 articles (13%), incorporating health technology (e.g., AI cancer detection) and community safety (e.g., shootings). These articles were categorized as follows: environmental health (1), mental health/social determinants (2), healthcare policy/ethics (1), food safety (2), disease outbreak/policy (1), public health policy (2), health technology (2), and community safety/social determinants (2). Impact analysis revealed 9 articles (69.2%) with negative impacts (e.g., FDA safety cuts, violence), 1 article (7.7%) with neutral impact (assisted dying debate), and 3 articles (23.1%) with positive impacts (e.g., sea turtle recovery, health tech). Extrapolating to the full dataset, approximately 23,598 articles (13%) may be public health-related, with 16,330 negative, 1,817 neutral, and 5,451 positive.

Discussion

The predominance of negative impact articles (69.2%) reflects media tendencies to emphasize public health challenges, such as policy failures (e.g., FDA testing cuts) and safety threats (e.g., campus shootings). The broad definition’s inclusion of social determinants and health technology enriched the analysis, aligning with contemporary public health frameworks that recognize systemic influences like violence and innovation. The low proportion of public health articles (13%) is attributable to the generic q=news query, which prioritized diverse topics (e.g., technology, politics). The findings resonate with prior research on media framing of health crises, suggesting a bias toward negative narratives. Limitations include the sample’s potential non-representativeness and NewsAPI’s free-tier restrictions, necessitating pagination for comprehensive analysis.

Conclusion

This study underscores the complexity of public health representation in news media, with 13% of sampled articles addressing health under a broad definition. The high prevalence of negative impacts (69.2%) highlights systemic challenges, while positive articles (23.1%) showcase environmental and technological advancements. These insights inform public health communication strategies and media analysis. Future research could employ targeted queries (e.g., q="public health OR healthcare") and analyze additional pages to enhance dataset coverage.

Recommendations

• Refine queries to focus on health-specific terms for greater relevance.

• Paginate additional NewsAPI pages to validate dataset-wide estimates.

• Conduct sentiment or subcategory analyses (e.g., mental health) for deeper insights.

• Integrate alternative data sources (e.g., GDELT) for a broader public health perspective.

• Public Health News Stories (April 4–May 4, 2025)

• DOJ sues the nation’s largest health insurers’ alleging ‘unlawful kickbacks’ - NewsBreak

• Selena Gomez Makes a Surprise Appearance at Rare Beauty Mental Health Summit

• ‘CBS News Got It Wrong’ Says HHS in Refuting Mass Firing Report: ‘No CDC Employee Was Terminated’

• KunstlerCast 423 — Dr. Meryl Nass on the Echoes of Covid and Medicine's Nervous Breakdown

• Canadian judge orders mental health assessment for suspect in Vancouver festival attack

• CIA's top doctor is suing the agency over her firing, lawsuit says

• 'Reckless': US stiffs Marin schools on $14.5M in mental health grants

• Scientists question NIH project’s use of 20th century technology to make a universal flu vaccine - statnews.com

• Health benefits of socialising (2)

• Government’s tech reform to transform cancer diagnosis

• Acknowledging the silent grief of vanishing twin syndrome [PODCAST]

• Finessa Warm Water Hack Reviewed: The Clean Gut Restoration Switch for Weight Loss, Liver & Digestive Support

• The science of keeping people with Parkinson’s moving

• IQ Blast Pro Under Review: Can This Hidden Household Toxin Really Triple Your Memory Loss?

• Your Brain Craves Beauty, Here’s Why

• Pronouns won’t kill anyone, unlike Republican public health policy

• Girl left Milwaukee mental health facility, trafficked, family says

• 6 Ways Gardening Reduces Stress and Enhances Well-Being

• Florence Pugh Praises ‘Thunderbolts*’ and Marvel for Mental Health Story: ‘It’s a Huge Deal’

• LeptiCell Under Review: Best Weight Management and Energy Support Formula

• Statement on the Termination of 16 World Trade Center Health Program Staff

• How vaccine hesitancy may be driving a spike in pediatric flu deaths

• NY AG Letitia James planning to sue Trump’s HHS over healthcare ‘cuts’

• How vaccine hesitancy may be driving a spike in pediatric flu deaths

• Urge Congress to protect maternal health!

• NMN Brand Review: GenuinePurity Nicotinamide Mononucleotide with Clinically-Dosed Liposomal Encapsulation

• Semaglutide injections have surprising benefits for liver disease patients, study shows

• Anal cancer is on the rise — here’s who is most at risk

• The Healing Wave Under Review: Neural Entrainment Soundwave Audio Track to Activate Theta Healing Mode for Faster Healing Relief

• HHS to require placebo testing of ‘all new vaccines,’ raising questions about approval of updated Covid-19 shots