Online news media are a significant influence on how the public understands aging. This is particularly true for the cognitive aspects of aging, as over half of Americans report that they learn about cognitive health through the news media. What, then, are people hearing about cognitive aging from the media? A recent study analyzed the messages about cognitive health on the websites of the top three cable news companies in the US, focusing on how cognition was portrayed as an aging issue. The researchers found a significant gap between research findings and media portrayals of cognition and aging.

The most popular topic was cognitive functioning, which was the focus of over one-third of the articles. These articles focused on subjects like general cognitive functioning, or on specific cognitive functions such as memory or attention. About 30% focused on a specific form of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s Disease, while about 16% were about unspecified dementia. Almost 30% of the articles focused on treatments for dementia, while a slightly smaller proportion of articles focused on prevention of cognitive decline or on general health maintenance.

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