SUMMARY

The fields in which the communication regarding health issues has place, are as many as the environments for human relationships. Notwithstanding, in the case of developed countries, it is necessary to highlight the essential role being played by mass media.

Though the information regarding health issues is of great importance in television, radio and the Internet, the written press keeps on being the most predominant means. Therefore, as long as the television is the longest range means to the great public, the press keeps on carrying out a conclusive role as an element of information and opinion for key sectors of society.

The amount of scientifical and medical news that appear in the mass media considerably increased between 1995-2000. Despite this increase in the number of scientifical and medical news, the number of specialized journalists from the main newspapers has not changed, which represents a difficulty to keep the proper level of quality, rigour and depth regarding the information treatment.

The use of the Internet and the press releases transmitted via e-mail have fostered a noticeable increase of the news spread from original sources, like the specialized journals, that are a reference to journalists. However, we should reflect about the fact that all the subjects appeared in these journals may not be really important but just look for a certain mediatic impact, process that at mid to long term can negatively affect the divulgation of science and the image that the population has of the scientifical advances.

The growth of the scientifical, medical and technological information within the media has flown parallel to the interest that the population shows for all the subjects that have to do with innovation, discoveries, new therapies and healthcare policies. Many surveys about the public perception of the sciences, technologies, the medicine and health show a quite homogeneous response regarding this issue within the populations from different countries.

Given the fact that the media are the main source of access to the information about health isues in developed countries, if we aim to improve a population’s health, we must guarantee that this one counts on independent (or at least, plural ones) and quality media.

Several surveys reveal that the majority of citizens thinks that its level of education and information regarding scientifical and medical subjects is not appropriate and that these lacks do not seem to be covered in any case by the contents offer from the greatest diffusion media: television, radio and press. The citizens think that only the specialized journals, the books and the Internet count on the the necessary possibilities and resources to foster a proper scientifical information.

The lack of an appropriate offer and the crisis of the up till now predominant model regarding the transmission of the scientifical model to society put into question the scientifical journalism and the classical means. Nowadays, a change in the traditional ways through which the population got the information until today has begun, with a predominance of the Internet that will quickly increase in the next years.

Television has a conclusive influence over the creation of an image, a popular opinion and even of a cultural and healthcare education on the subjects it embraces, therefore, it is mandatory that there exists a proper presence of the scientifical and medical world in its programs.

The growth of the Internet in the next future as a means of information about the health will be unstoppable as long as the access of the population to this means goes on getting generalized. There is no doubt that this fact will be a real challenge to a quality scientifical, medical and sanitary divulgation in the closer future.