Still a burning issue: trends in the volume,content and population reach of newspaper coverage about tobacco issues

Tobacco control advocates expend considerable effort in generating news stories on tobacco issues to assist progress in tobacco control, and the news coverage itself may have important policy and behavioral influences. Yet, studies of trends in such news coverage are uncommon. Between 2001 and 2006, we conducted a content analysis of tobacco-related newspaper articles in the 12 major daily Australian newspapers and coded them for type of article, topic, and tone. Overall, 6483 tobacco-focused articles were published, representing an average of one article every 4 days for each newspaper. There was variability in volume between years but no decline over time. Overall, 67% of articles reported on events that represented progress for tobacco control, 21% on setbacks, and 7% on events that were of mixed impact. Newspaper coverage of tobacco issues was dominated by articles on smoke-free issues (32% of articles), health effects of smoking (12%), education, prevention and cessation programs and services (12%), and the tobacco industry (9%). During the 6-year period, on average, Australian adults were potentially exposed to around one article on tobacco issues every week, or using a more stringent prominence-adjusted measure, one article every 2 to 3 weeks, a level comparable to paid media campaigns in some jurisdictions. Temporal variation in population exposure to news coverage about tobacco issues may reflect variability in newsworthiness of tobacco control issues, media advocacy resources and success, and/or preparedness of editors and journalists to entertain news stories on tobacco.     

Coverage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nutrition in major Australian newspapers, 1996–2015

Objective: To examine the extent and nature of coverage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nutrition issues in major Australian newspapers over two decades. Methods : Content and framing analysis of Australian newspaper articles published between 1996 and 2015 that included the terms ‘Aboriginal or Indigenous’ and ‘nutrition or diet’ in the headline and/or lead paragraph. Analysis focused on the nature of coverage, trends over time, stakeholder representation and how coverage related to policy. Results : A total of 79 articles were included. Coverage of nutrition fluctuated over time, with peaks in 1998 and 2008. The majority of articles focused on remote Aboriginal communities. Both individual and structural representations of nutrition were used and dietary quality and food insecurity were the most commonly reported nutrition issues. Few articles employed positive representations of Aboriginal peoples. Six policy functions of articles were identified: highlighting problems; reporting government announcements; promoting programs; advocating solutions; critiquing government; and defending policy. Conclusion : The coverage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nutrition in newspapers does not reflect the diversity and strengths of Australia’s First Peoples. Implications for public health : This study highlights the role of the media in policy advocacy; however, advocates should ensure that they do not perpetuate negative representations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.     

Uncovering differences across the cancer control continuum: a comparison of ethnic and mainstream cancer newspaper stories

OBJECTIVE: The use of the news media to disseminate control research could play a pivotal role in reducing the cancer burden. An important first step is to understand how newspapers cover cancer and if differences exist between mainstream and ethnic newspapers. METHODS: Cancer news in the major U.S. (MAJN) (N=5327) and ethnic (ENW) newspapers (N=565) appearing in 2003 were content analyzed. Comparisons of mainstream and ethnic newspapers utilized Pearson x(2) tests of two-sided statistical significance and independent samples t tests for interval-level variables. RESULTS: Breast cancer dominated coverage: 27% of MAJN and 35% of ENW stories mentioned breast cancer. Coverage focused primarily on cancer treatment (MAJN: 60%; ENW: 52%) rather than on primary or secondary prevention. Compared to mainstream newspapers, the ethnic newspapers required lower literacy levels for understanding news stories, were substantially more likely to cover primary and secondary cancer prevention, and paid more attention to cancer awareness and education. CONCLUSIONS: The ethnic media are a promising vehicle for dissemination of cancer control messages. However, the successful utilization of any U.S. newspaper as a dissemination mechanism requires a greater understanding of the root causes for imbalances in cancer coverage and work with journalists to reframe cancer news coverage.     

Alcohol coverage in California newspapers: frequency,prominence, and framing

The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature and extent of alcohol coverage in California newspapers by examining the frequency, positioning, and framing of alcohol-related articles. A content analysis assessed the frequency and nature of alcohol references in news content drawn from a random sample of nine California newspaper issues from September 1997 to June 1998. The study findings indicate that alcohol is mentioned at least once a day in daily newspapers with more frequent mention in smaller newspapers. Alcohol is most often discussed in relation to trauma or in the context of promoting alcohol consumption. Articles on trauma and driving while intoxicated receive more prominence than other stories mentioning alcohol. Despite the relative frequency of alcohol content in trauma news, these stories are rarely framed with any sort of health context. Public health advocates should work toward increasing the frequency and improving the framing of alcohol in newspaper coverage.     

Do the media provide transparent health information? A cross-cultural comparison of public information about the HPV vaccine

The media is a powerful tool for informing the public about health treatments. In particular, the Internet has gained importance as a widely valued source for health information for parents and adolescents. Nonetheless, traditional sources, such as newspapers, continue to report on health innovations. But do websites and newspaper reports provide balanced information? We performed a systematic media analysis to evaluate and compare media coverage of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine on websites and in newspapers in Germany and Spain. We assessed to what extent the media provide complete (pros and cons), transparent (absolute instead of relative numbers), and correct information about the epidemiology and etiology of cervical cancer as well as the effectiveness and costs of the HPV vaccine. As a basis for comparison, a facts box containing current scientific evidence about cervical cancer and the HPV vaccine was developed. The media analysis included 61 websites and 141 newspaper articles in Germany, and 41 websites and 293 newspaper articles in Spain. Results show that 57% of German websites and 43% of German newspaper reports communicated correct estimates of epidemiological data, whereas in Spain 39% of the websites and 20% of the newspaper did so. While two thirds of Spanish websites explicitly mentioned causes of cervical cancer as well as spontaneous recovery, German websites communicated etiological information less frequently. Findings reveal that correct estimates about the vaccine's effectiveness were mentioned in 10% of German websites and 6% of German newspaper reports; none of the Spanish newspaper reports and 2% of Spanish websites reported effectiveness correctly. Only German websites (13%) explicitly referred to scientific uncertainty regarding the vaccine's evaluation. We conclude that the media lack balanced reporting on the dimensions completeness, transparency, and correctness. We propose standards for more balanced reporting on websites and in newspapers.     

Reporting medical information: effects of press releases and newsworthiness on medical journal articles' visibility in the news media

BACKGROUND: Characteristics defining newsworthiness of journal articles appearing in JAMA and NEJM were examined to determine if they affect visibility in the news media. It was also hypothesized that press releases affected the amount of news coverage of a journal article due to the fact that the most newsworthy journal articles are selected for press releases. METHODS: Journal articles (N = 95) were coded for characteristics believed to describe the "newsworthiness" of journal articles. Quantity of news coverage of the journal articles was estimated using the LEXIS-NEXIS database. Bivariate associations were examined using one-way analysis of variance, and multivariate analyses utilized OLS regression. RESULTS: Characteristics of the newsworthiness of medical journal articles predicted their visibility in newspapers. The issuing of press releases also predicted newspaper coverage. However, press releases predicted newspaper coverage largely because more newsworthy journal articles had accompanying press releases rather than because the press release itself was influential. CONCLUSIONS: Journalists report on medical information that is topical, stratifies risk based on demographic and lifestyle variables, and has lifestyle rather than medical implications. Medical journals issue press releases for articles that possess the characteristics journalists are looking for, thereby further highlighting their importance.     

Newspaper coverage of tobacco control in New Zealand

Objective : The New Zealand (NZ) government has proposed that the country be ‘Smokefree’ by 2025. This paper examines how NZ newspapers have portrayed tobacco control initiatives to achieve this goal. Method : We examined tobacco‐related articles from NZ newspapers published between 1 November 2011 and 31 October 2012, using a coding frame to capture smoking themes, portrayal of actions and degree of support expressed for various pro‐ and anti‐ tobacco control objectives. Results : A total of 537 separate articles were obtained from national and regional newspapers. Six themes appeared in more than 5% of the total articles: Smokefree 2025; smokefree areas; pricing; tobacco industry; plain packaging; and cessation. Overall, articles on tobacco smoking were three times more likely to emphasise actions consonant with tobacco control objectives rather than against them, and to report them with a positive rather than negative tone. Conclusions : NZ tobacco control advocates can take heart from the nature and extent of coverage of tobacco control initiatives. Opportunities for further media advocacy are discussed.     

The news on smoking: newspaper coverage of smoking and health in Australia, 1987-88.

All newspaper articles (n = 1601) mentioning tobacco or smoking drawn from a 12-month census of 30 Australian capital city newspapers in 1987-88 were coded for content, "slant," and apparent origin. Overall, 62 percent of articles were positive in their orientation toward smoking control objectives, 17 percent were negative, and 21 percent were neutral. Newspapers owned by Rupert Murdoch published 55.7 percent positive and 23.7 percent negative articles compared to 68.0 percent positive and 13.7 percent negative articles in the other large chain of Australian newspapers.     

Defining Obesity: Second-Level Agenda Setting Attributes in Black Newspapers and General Audience Newspapers

This content analysis study examines how obesity is depicted in general-audience and Black newspaper stories (N=391) through the lens of second-level agenda setting theory. The results reveal that both Black newspapers and general-audience newspapers generally ascribe individual causes for obesity. While both types of newspapers largely neglected to mention solutions for the problem, Black newspapers were more likely than general-audience newspapers to suggest both individual and societal solutions for treating obesity. For Black newspapers, these solutions more often included community interventions. In addition, Black newspapers more often used a negative tone in stories and more frequently mentioned ethnic and racial minorities as at-risk groups.     

Giving Boys a Shot: The HPV Vaccine’s Portrayal in Canadian Newspapers

In January 2012, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) of Canada recommended that males aged 9–26 years receive the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to protect against genital warts and HPV-associated cancers. Estimated HPV vaccine uptake rates for Canadian males are extremely low. Using a content analysis of Canadian newspaper articles, this study investigated what information about the HPV vaccine was relayed to the public, and how this content was portrayed following the 2012 male HPV vaccine recommendation. A search was conducted using Proquest Canadian Newsstand Complete for newspaper articles published between January 1, 2012, and September 1, 2014. Researchers coded 232 articles on several relevant dimensions: article information; epidemiological information; public policy information; article topic; article and title tone; and informant testimony. The majority of articles (93%) mentioned that girls are eligible for the HPV vaccine, whereas only half (49%) mentioned male eligibility. While most articles associated HPV with cervical cancer (85%), fewer indicated its relation to other HPV-associated cancers (59%) or genital warts (52%). Most articles (60%) were positive or neutral (22%) in tone toward the HPV vaccine, while few had mixed messages (11%) or were negative (6%). Less than 5% of articles reported on issues of morality, suggesting that fears that the HPV vaccine causes promiscuity have largely subsided. Notably, article tone toward male vaccination became progressively more positive over time. However, half of the articles did not mention the vaccine’s approval for males, and articles tended to report HPV’s relation to cervical cancer over other HPV-associated cancers. The Canadian public may thus be unaware of male eligibility and the importance of HPV vaccine for males. The collaboration of researchers, health care providers, and policymakers with journalists is critical in order to disseminate complete and accurate HPV and HPV vaccine information.     

Emotional Tone of Ontario Newspaper Articles on the Health Effects of Industrial Wind Turbines Before and After Policy Change

Newspapers are often a primary source of health information for the public about emerging technologies. Information in newspapers can amplify or attenuate readers’ perceptions of health risk depending on how it is presented. Five geographically distinct wind energy installations in Ontario, Canada were identified, and newspapers published in their surrounding communities were systematically searched for articles on health effects from industrial wind turbines from May 2007 to April 2011. The authors retrieved 421 articles from 13 community, 2 provincial, and 2 national newspapers. To measure the emotional tone of the articles, the authors used a list of negative and positive words, informed from previous studies as well as from a random sample of newspaper articles included in this study. The majority of newspaper articles (64.6%, n = 272) emphasized negative rather than positive/neutral tone, with community newspapers publishing a higher proportion of negative articles than provincial or national newspapers, χ²(2) = 15.1, p < .001. Articles were more likely to be negative when published 2 years after compared with 2 years before provincial legislation to reduce dependence on fossil fuels (the Green Energy Act), χ²(3) = 9.7, p < .05. Repeated public exposure to negative newspaper content may heighten readers’ health risk perceptions about wind energy.     

The Cinderella of public health news: physical activity coverage in Australian newspapers, 1986-2006

Objective: This research examined trends in physical activity reporting by Australian newspapers, and described these trends compared to coverage of obesity and tobacco.
Method: The Factiva database was searched for articles published in major Australian metropolitan newspapers (1986-2006) that mentioned physical activity, obesity or tobacco smoking. Standardised frequencies compared the three health issues, and trends in reporting were estimated by using standard multiple regression models to fit linear splines with fixed knots at years 1991, 1996 and 2001 to the standardised data.
Results: Physical activity received the least coverage 1986-2006, appearing in 4,988 articles, compared with 15,410 and 63,738 articles for obesity and tobacco respectively. Between 1996 and 2000, there were significant increases in the rate of coverage of physical activity (β=0.21; p<0.01), obesity (β=0.13; p<0.01) and tobacco (β=0.24; p<0.0001). From 2001 to 2006 the rate of physical activity coverage was relatively steady, while the obesity coverage rate increased dramatically (β=0.34; p<0.0001), and tobacco coverage rate slowed (β=-0.33; p<0.0001).
Conclusions: This study demonstrates that physical activity reporting in the media has increased, but received less attention than obesity and tobacco.
Implications: Physical activity advocates face the challenge of highlighting the newsworthiness of physical activity and raising the issue higher on the public agenda.     

Increasing Intention to Comply with Pharmaceutical Product Instructions: An Exploratory Study Investigating the Rolesof Frame and Plain Language

ABSTRACT

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe the coverage and portrayal of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) risk factors as framed in newspapers targeting Aboriginal (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit) peoples in Canada.

Methods: From a sample of 31 Aboriginal newspapers published in English from 1996 to 2000, 14 newspapers were randomly selected. Of the 167 articles published on HIV/AIDS during this time period, all anecdotal (n = 34) and an approximate 25% random sample of scientific (n = 32) articles were analyzed using both quantitative (coding reliability and frequencies) and qualitative (in-depth content analysis) analyses.

Results: Individual risk factors for HIV/AIDS were described in 74% (49/66) of the articles and included unprotected sexual intercourse (20/49 or 41%), sharing of needles for injection drug use (IDU; 16/49 or 33%), infected blood transfusions (3/49 or 6%), and vertical transmission from mother to baby (10/49 or 20%). Additional risk factors of alcohol use and poverty were mentioned in 29% and 25% of the articles. In addition to the well-recognized HIV/AIDS risk groups of prostitutes and homosexual men, sexual abuse victims, prisoners, and women were identified in Aboriginal newspapers as being at risk. Although Aboriginal women were identified as being at high risk, the newspaper coverage also emphasized their lack of knowledge regarding HIV/AIDS. Heterosexual men were not mentioned as being at risk for HIV/AIDS in the newspaper articles.

Background: The prevalence of HIV/AIDS is higher among Canadian Aboriginals than in the general population. Local and community newspapers are an important channel for the dissemination of health information for isolated, rural, and Aboriginal communities.

Interpretation: The findings show that Aboriginal media identify high-risk groups and individualistic risk factors for HIV/AIDS, within a public health perspective. The articles also emphasize, however, Aboriginal people's lack of knowledge about disease transmission and the full spectrum of who is at risk.     

The new pariahs: discourse on the tobacco industry in the Sydney press, 1993-97

OBJECTIVE: To review the principal sub-texts contained in all press coverage and references to the tobacco industry in a major Sydney newspaper over five years. METHOD AND SAMPLE: After excluding value-neutral financial page reports, thematic analysis of all value-laden references to the tobacco industry in the Sydney Morning Herald, January 1993 to December 1997. RESULTS: Some 155 articles containing 221 separate references to the tobacco industry were identified. Eight sub-texts (callous merchants of death; conspiracy/cover-up; blood money; toxic pied pipers; corporate leviathans; beleaguered/legitimate industry; index case of unethical or corrupt practice; and bumbling fools) accounted for all 221 references. Eighty-nine per cent of references to the industry framed it negatively. Journalists or regular newspaper columnists authored 56% of the references. Only 5% of comments were attributed to tobacco company sources. CONCLUSIONS: In press reports, the tobacco industry is routinely framed as a corporate pariah by journalists, the public, government spokespeople and tobacco control advocates. IMPLICATIONS: Routine negative publicity about the tobacco industry is likely to significantly reduce its public credibility and political influence.     

Deconstructing media coverage of trastuzumab (Herceptin): an analysis of national newspaper coverage

OBJECTIVE: To explore and critically describe the content and main narratives of UK national daily newspaper coverage of trastuzumab (Herceptin). DESIGN: We used the NewsBank database to search eight national daily newspapers, and their Sunday equivalents, retrospectively from 19 February 2006 back to the earliest mention of trastuzumab or Herceptin (19 May 1998). Setting UK national newspapers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: To be eligible for inclusion, articles had to contain at least three sentences about trastuzumab. Articles that focused on the financial performance of companies associated with the drug were excluded from the analysis. For each included article, we extracted bibliographic details and data, and independently rated the reporting slant towards trastuzumab and, where relevant, the reporting slant towards access to treatment. RESULTS: We identified 361 articles that met the study inclusion criteria. The proprietary name of Herceptin was always used, with only eight articles mentioning the generic alternative. 294/361 included articles (81.5%) were rated as being positive towards trastuzumab, the remainder rated as neutral. Access to trastuzumab treatment was the main narrative running across included articles and reports of individual patients seeking treatment featured prominently throughout. In 208/361 of included articles (57%) the reporting slant towards access to trastuzumab treatment was rated as negative. 178/361 of included articles (49.3%) mentioned licensing, but rarely mentioned that licensing processes can only occur when the manufacturer applies for a licence. Only a minority of articles mentioned that the drug had to be licensed before it could be subject to the NICE approval process. CONCLUSIONS: Newspaper coverage of trastuzumab has been characterized by uncritical reporting. Journalists (and consumers) should be more questioning when confronted with information about new drugs and of the motives of those who seek to set the news agenda.     

Severe and Fatal Cycling Crash Injury in Britain: Time to Make Urban Cycling Safer

Pedal cycling is advocated for increasing physical activity and promoting health and wellbeing. However, whilst some countries have achieved zero cyclist deaths on their roads, this is not the case for Great Britain (GB). A retrospective cross-sectional analysis was conducted of STATS19 cyclist crash data, a dataset of all police-reported traffic crashes in GB. Information about crash location, casualty, driver and vehicles involved were included as predictors of casualty severity (fatal or severe vs. slight). Sixteen thousand one hundred seventy pedal cycle crashes were reported during 2018. Severe or fatal cyclist crash injury was associated with increasing age of the cyclist (35–39 years, OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.73; 55–59 years, OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.35 to 2.2; 70 years and over, OR 2.87, 95% CI 2.12 to 3.87), higher road speed limits (50 MPH OR 2.10, 95% CI 1.43 to 3.07; 70 MPH OR 4.12, 95% CI 2.12 to 8.03), the involvement of goods vehicles (OR 2.08, 95% CI 1.30 to 3.33) and the months of May and June (OR 1.34 to 1.36, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.73). Urban planning that includes physical separation of pedal cyclists from other road users, raising awareness around the risks from goods vehicles and reducing road speed should be the urgent focus of interventions to increase the benefits and safety of cycling.     

Cancer coverage in newspapers serving large and small communities in Ontario.

Local newspapers are an important source of health news, especially in small communities. We describe the amount and type of cancer information in Ontario daily newspapers dichotomized by circulation size (> 400,000 or < 40,000) and community size (> 250,000 or < 25,000 people) for 1991. All cancer articles (n = 1027) in five newspapers with large circulations, serving large communities, and five newspapers with small circulations, serving small communities, were read and evaluated for focus and newsplay. Although large newspapers had an absolute greater number of cancer articles, there were no significant differences by newspaper size in the number of cancer articles per 1,000 pages. Large newspapers included more cancer articles with a scientific vs. human interest focus than did small newspapers (p < 0.001). Large newspapers tended to use wire services whereas small newspapers tended to use staff reporters. Differences in the type and amount of cancer information varies by newspaper and community size, potentially contributing to differences in community cancer information resources.     

How organ donation is represented in newspaper articles in the United States

A media agenda setting study was conducted to examine how newspaper stories frame the topic of organ and tissue donation. Seven hundred fifteen stories on organ and tissue donation from 20 newspapers dated 2002 or 2003 were content-analyzed for valence (i.e., positive, negative, or neutral toward organ donation) and topic (e.g., living donation, transplant process, celebrity donor/recipient). The 20 newspapers were chosen by circulation and electronic access of database. Four of the top 5 and 13 of the top 20 circulating newspapers were included and several combinations of search terms were used to identify relevant articles. Results indicate that the majority of articles were either positive (57%) or neutral (29%) regarding the topic of organ donation. The 4 most common topics covered in news articles included: (a) posttransplantation health and welfare, (b) information on the shortage of organ donors, (c) living donation, and (d) information about the transplantation process. Kidneys (n = 204) and hearts (n = 120) were the 2 most commonly mentioned organs in the sample of articles. Results are discussed and how news articles may shape laypersons' attitudes and intentions regarding organ donation is considered.