Table 2

Number, stance and theme of articles mentioning statins (1 October 2013 to 31 March 2014)

The TelegraphDaily MailThe GuardianDaily MirrorTotal
Number of articles25201111*67
Frequency of article type
 Study report/response10 (40.0%)13 (65.0%)6 (54.5%)10 (90.9%)39 (58.0%)
 Commentary3 (12.0%)1 (5.0%)2 (18.2%)0 (0.0%)6 (9.0%)
 Q&A2 (8.0%)1 (5.0%)0 (0.0%)0 (0.0%)3 (4.5%)
 Personal story1 (4.0%)1 (5.0%)1 (9.1%)0 (0.0%)3 (4.5%)
 News report1** (4.0%)1** (5.0%)0 (0.0%)1** (9.1%)3 (4.5%)
 Letters4 (16.0%)0 (0.0%)0 (0.0%)0 (0.0%)4 (6.0%)
 Expert/’celebrity’ commentator3 (12.0%)2 (10.0%)0 (0.0%)0 (0.0%)5 (7.5%)
 Other1 (4.0%)1 (5%)2 (18.2%)0 (0%)4 (6.0%)
Statins main topic
 Main topic18 (72.0%)14 (70.0%)10 (90.9%)3 (27.3%)45 (67.2%)
 Secondary topic7 (28.0%)6 (30.0%)1 (9.1%)8 (72.7%)22 (32.8%)
Positive/negative
 Positive2 (8.0%)8 (40.0%)3 (27.3%)4 (36.4%)17 (25.4%)
 Neutral3 (12.0%)2 (10.0%)5 (45.4%)3 (27.2%)13 (19.4%)
 Negative20 (80.0%)10 (50.0%)3 (27.3%)4 (36.4%)37 (55.2%)
  • *One article was excluded.

  • **Publication of NICE and US guidelines on the use of statins.