How to Responsibly Cover Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are some of the most misunderstood and stigmatized mental and physical disorders present in society. Coverage of eating disorders currently reflects the misunderstanding and stigma; rather than providing information and pathways to new research, too often journalists parrot and perpetuate out-of-date information or else incorrect information altogether when it comes to eating disorders, disordered eating, or anything related to disorders as they pertain to food.
Journalist Mallary Tenore Tarpley, who has been recovering from anorexia nervosa for over 20 years, noted that while some articles are coming out with responsible eyes on informing the public both of the disorders themselves and of the people suffering, “the most egregious stories tend to be littered with sensational photos, surface-level details about weight and calories, or oversimplifications of the recovery process.”
In 2020-2022, several pieces of journalism have been released on the link between social media and the possible rise of eating disorders, especially among teens and adolescents. However, too often these pieces have cartoonishly portrayed the potential consequences. “I think there’s an understandable tendency to reduce stories about eating disorders to: This person is scarily thin or dangerously fat. To make it all about weight and appearance,” said Frank Bruni, a Duke University professor and contributing writer for The New York Times. “That can have a voyeuristic, freak-show aspect to it and, worse, it disregards that what’s going on — the biggest stuff, the messiest stuff — is often as much emotional and psychological as it is physical.”
Therefore, journalists must acknowledge the complexity and depth of an eating disorder. Journalists must also know the differences between terms like “disordered eating” and “eating disorder.” Disordered eaters respond to the pressures of society habitually by exploiting their relationship with food: for example, someone who exhibits disordered eating habits may eat at odd times of the day or night, eat when they are bored, have the same thing for lunch everyday, or involve eating in their lives as a tool for something other than getting and retaining nutrients, thereby conflating their relationships with food to outside sources and becoming a “disordered” eater.
An eating disorder develops when the habits of disordered eating become impossible to live alongside without them interfering in your life.
“When an individual is struggling with an eating disorder, they generally engage in multiple behaviors. These behaviors can involve food or may relate to body image or mood. Judging by these behaviors alone would be insufficient: many people eat health foods or consume large quantities of food and do not have eating disorders. The quantity of behaviors may be an indication; for instance, this person engages in behaviors multiple times per week or even per day. This being said, many people keep their behaviors a secret and it is therefore difficult to gauge based on behaviors alone,” said Dr. Temimah Zucker, a clinician and expert on eating disorders. “The level of obsession around eating disorder thoughts and behaviors can distinguish disordered eating from an eating disorder…For those struggling with an eating disorder, however, the thoughts are generally all-consuming; the individual thinks about calories, taste, food avoidance, or where to buy food, etc. This level of obsession can impair focus, the ability to stay present, and sleep, among other things.”
Despite the all-encompassing nature of the symptoms, most people don’t understand that eating disorders are as serious as a disorder like depression, according to Bruni. “It can seem to [outsiders] more a failure of character or discipline than the kind of profound challenge it really is. Or they see an eating disorder simply in terms of food. It’s about much more than food,” he said.
Journalists must commit to reporting on the breadth and depth of symptoms that come with an eating disorder in order to responsibly report on them. Moreover, there are societal stigmas and assumptions about eating disorders: most articles covering eating disorders center around women’s experiences, despite men making up 25 percent to 36 percent of people struggling with some form of eating disorder. Ken Capobianco, author of Call Me Anorexic: The Ballad Of A Thin Man, noted that he is “still waiting for a good article on men with eating disorders that doesn’t solely focus on men who want to be ripped or bulked up.”
“Rarely do articles explore men who strive for an impossible perfection of lean or those with a desire to disappear because they feel insignificant or their world is out of control,” said Capobianco.
Statistics begin to tell a different story when the LGBTQ+ lens is applied to eating disorders in men—men who identify with the LGBTQ+ community make up about 54 percent of men who are diagnosed with an eating disorder at some point in their life. Even more prescient, most of those men will have been diagnosed with said disorder by adolescence: at minimum, age 13, at maximum, age 19. Research shows this is because of portrayals of LGBTQ+ people in popular culture and in media, which correlates to role models for much of the LGBTQ+ community.
Journalists should also take care of the language used to describe people suffering from an eating disorder. As with other disorders, avoid turning the name of the disorder into an adjective (i.e. a person who has anorexia nervosa vs someone who is “anorexic” or “bulimic”). Tarpley also sharply recommends avoiding “warrior words,” like battle, fight, defeat, and triumph, for those who are in recovery.
Instead, Tarpley recommends asking that person for their experience from their point of view: “I’ve found that it helps to ask sources for guidance on how to describe their eating disorder and their experiences with it. This is especially important if you’re talking with someone who hasn’t yet received an official diagnosis, or who is still struggling but no longer in acute distress. Questions that start with ‘is it accurate to say that…?’ and ‘how would you describe…?’ can help you arrive at greater clarity and accuracy, while expanding your verbiage.”
Perhaps most importantly, journalists must avoid the use of shocking, sensationalized imagery in order to make their point. Aside from being extremely triggering for people with eating disorders, sensationalized images do not represent the sheer number of people that are suffering and actually continue and perpetuate the stigmas Tarpley noted above. To add, focusing on the visual and physical consequences of the disorder erases the mental suffering that accompanies, and perpetuates the idea that if a person is suffering from an eating disorder, it will be visible in their bodies when, in fact, eating disorders are considered an invisible illness.
Overall, journalists must approach eating disorders—the topic, the people suffering, and the greater conversation about them—with an intent to learn and to educate the public about the experiences individuals with eating disorders are having. Sensationalism is irresponsible and can be damaging to those suffering, invisibly, from one of these disorders. It can also misinform the public and damage the trust those who live with eating disorders have built in their network.
