Kathryn Bowd

An examination of Australian newspaper coverage of the link between alcohol and cancer 2005 to 2013

BackgroundAlcohol is a Class-1 carcinogen but public awareness of the link between alcohol and cancer is low. The news media is a popular, readily-accessible source of health information and plays a key role in shaping public opinion and influencing policy-makers. Examination of how the link between alcohol and cancer is presented in Australian print media could inform public health advocacy efforts to raise awareness of this modifiable cancer risk factor.MethodThis study provides a summative qualitative content analysis of 1502 articles that included information about a link between alcohol and cancer, as reported within Australian newspaper media (2005–2013). We use descriptive statistics to examine the prominence of reports, the nature and content of claims regarding the link between alcohol and cancer, and the source of information noted in each article.ResultsArticles were distributed throughout newspapers, most appearing within the main (first) section. The link between alcohol and cancer tended not to appear early in articles, and rarely featured in headlines. 95% of articles included a claim that alcohol causes cancer, 5% that alcohol prevented or did not cause cancer, 1% included both. Generally, the amount of alcohol that would cause or prevent cancer was unspecified or open to subjective interpretation. Coverage increased over time, primarily within community/free papers. The claim that alcohol causes cancer often named a specific cancer, did not name a specific alcohol, was infrequently the focus of articles (typically subsumed within an article on general health issues), and cited various health-promoting (including advocacy) organisations as information sources. Articles that included the converse also tended not to focus on that point, often named a specific type of alcohol, and most cited research institutions or generic ‘research’ as sources. Half of all articles involved repetition of materials, and most confirmed that alcohol caused cancer.ConclusionsInformation about a link between alcohol and cancer is available in the Australian newsprint media, but may be hidden within and thus overshadowed by other health-related stories. Strategic collaboration between health promoting organisations, and exploitation of ‘churnalism’ and journalists’ preferences for ready-made ‘copy’ may facilitate increased presence and accuracy of the alcohol-cancer message.

Considering the consequences: Australian country newspapers and news impact on communities

Abstract The news media are often criticised for not considering the impact of their reporting on audiences. Journalism conventions and market demands are seen as militating against concern with the consequences of news coverage, and this is frequently highlighted as one of the reasons for decreasing public trust in the media. However, such criticisms may apply primarily to news outlets in metropolitan areas, where media environments are competitive and the risk of alienating or offending some readers, viewers or listeners must be balanced against the need to attract as wide an audience as possible. Outside cities, the news media environment tends to be less competitive, and this, along with factors such as individual journalists’ greater public visibility and accessibility, may encourage a greater concern with the impacts and effects of news reporting. This conclusion is supported by the findings of a study into relationships between Australian country non-daily newspapers and community in Victoria and South Australia, suggesting that journalistic conventions such as objectivity may require reinterpretation in non-metropolitan environments.