This paper starts by mapping the relationship between the mass media and the health sector, after which the role that the mass media play and the information they divulge is discussed and the information they convey, using as an example the framework of change and overall convergence of the health systems in Continental and Southern Europe. Thereafter the implications information may have and the role that it plays in affecting public trust in the public health sector and in the implementation of new policies, and their political legitimacy is analysed.