Media relations and health news coverage: The dialogue on Influenza A in Portugal

In Portugal, the use of strategic communication within the health sector has been growing in the past decade. However, the ambience of health information production in the country is controversial and there is a widespread sense of dissatisfaction among agents involved. In order to enlighten this debate, we have been conducting a systematic study on health news coverage in the country. In 2009, the most significant subject in Portuguese health news coverage was Influenza A.We have used the Influenza A case to analyse the role of media relations strategies and tactics in the construction of news in the health sector.