Jane Stephens

The 2023 Australian Senate inquiry into attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) provided a rare opportunity for sustained public discussion – and journalism – about ADHD and its different manifestations in children and adults. News coverage reflected the complexities of obtaining diagnosis and treatment; the elevated levels of stigma still associated with ADHD, especially for adults seeking support from the health system; and the significant social and financial costs of ADHD to individuals and the country. Through a close reading of journalistic coverage of the inquiry, this article identifies the key themes of Australia’s news media coverage of the inquiry and explores how the inquiry was framed via news reporting. Although much of the reporting conveyed rather than challenged the Senate inquiry’s primary framing of the policy issues, we show there was some reframing of the contesting policy preferences of the political parties, reflecting tensions between the neurodiversity ‘strengths’ perspectives and longer-standing biomedical ‘dysfunction’ frames that continue to animate ADHD discourses. Thematic analysis reveals news coverage skewed towards the neurodiversity paradigm and a greater emphasis on destigmatization, which, while welcome, may have attenuated the inquiry’s recommendations for urgent action and policy that would provide increased systemic support.