Final Findings

     When comparing the coverage of the top two items, heart disease and cancer, on the CDC's list of leading causes of death for American males with the next two, unintentional injuries and lower respiratory diseases, there is large gap. I've found that, while the media coverage could be better concerning the top two items, media does do a fairly good job of reporting on what the average man can do to lessen his chances of dying from either of these causes. Albeit sometimes that information might require a little digging. However, the next two killers on the list are promoted in several ways.
    With unintentional injuries, the third item on the CDC's list, it was the promotion of risky behavior such as rock climbing and the article about the man who crossed the Arctic Ocean in a row boat. These dangerous sports were celebrated in Men's Journal and in an advertisement in Men's Health magazine. There also were not any stories focusing on safety in sports such as these.
     The same situation persisted as I investigated respiratory diseases, which was the fourth item on the CDC's list. Smoking, which is a contributor to lower respiratory diseases, was portrayed with an air of respect and fun When the media had a face to put with the problem, George W.H. Bush, they did not address causes, symptoms, or actually anything to do with lower respiratory diseases themselves and instead only covered the story from an angle of wishing well an ailing president.
     This gap in coverage, and probably in awareness of coverage by the media, reflects the gap in percentages in which each item on the list is a threat to the lives of men. However, men's health, in regards to the biggest killer of men, is generally underrepresented in media. It is much more common to see sexual advice, mental health advice, or muscle building advice than it is to see an article addressing heart disease, cancer, unintentional injuries, or lower respiratory diseases. Many of the articles that deal with these topics are buried under the aforementioned types of articles, and have to be searched for. It shouldn't be harder to find the important information that has a direct correlation with the leading causes of American male deaths. Further research should be put into this problem such as seeing how affective the articles are in making connections with the men reading them or researching how harmful promoting smoking or risky behavior is to men's self perception and therefore our health.