During food-borne disease outbreaks, people get most of their information about food safety and risk from the news media. Best practice in risk messaging requires the rapid sharing of information to minimise harm, while expressing empathy, accountability, and commitment. The journalistic processes through which news is shaped can prioritise information differently, potentially limiting informed decision-making. The South African listeriosis outbreak (2017–2018) was the biggest in global history and generated considerable media attention. Using ‘social attenuation of risk theory’ and ‘gatekeeping theory’, combined with ‘crisis and emergency risk communication best practices’ as guiding principles, in this study we aimed to analyse which components of risk message content and which news factors were prioritised by news media during the outbreak. Content analysis of 91 listeriosis-related newspaper articles revealed that the most common risk messaging practices included were information about ‘what is known’ and ‘which foods to avoid’. News factor analysis indicated ‘relevance’ was omnipresent, and ‘controversy’ was the second most frequently encountered factor. Overall, our findings suggest that only some best practices featured in the risk message media content, while others were mostly absent. This should be considered when developing future risk communication strategies related to food safety.

在食源性疾病爆发期间，人们从新闻媒体获得大部分有关食品安全和风险的信息。风险信息传递的最佳实践要求快速共享信息以最大程度地减少伤害，同时表达同理心、责任感和承诺。塑造新闻的新闻过程可能会以不同的方式对信息进行优先排序，这可能会限制知情决策。南非李斯特菌病爆发（2017-2018 年）是全球历史上规模最大的一次，引起了媒体的广泛关注。本研究采用“风险社会衰减理论”和“把关理论”，结合“危机和应急风险沟通最佳实践”作为指导原则，旨在分析风险信息内容的哪些组成部分以及哪些新闻因素被新闻优先考虑疫情期间的媒体。对 91 篇与李斯特菌病相关的报纸文章的内容分析显示，最常见的风险信息传递做法是有关“已知信息”和“应避免哪些食物”的信息。新闻因素分析表明“相关性”无处不在，“争议”是第二个最常遇到的因素。总体而言，我们的研究结果表明，风险信息媒体内容中只有一些最佳实践，而其他的大多不存在。在制定与食品安全相关的未来风险沟通策略时，应考虑到这一点。而“争议”是第二个最常遇到的因素。总体而言，我们的研究结果表明，风险信息媒体内容中只有一些最佳实践，而其他的大多不存在。在制定与食品安全相关的未来风险沟通策略时，应考虑到这一点。而“争议”是第二个最常遇到的因素。总体而言，我们的研究结果表明，风险信息媒体内容中只有一些最佳实践，而其他的大多不存在。在制定与食品安全相关的未来风险沟通策略时，应考虑到这一点。