Loading...
Whatever one thinks of the news media, media coverage can raise public awareness and prompt political action. These researchers examined how frequently media stories reported involvement of alcohol in motor-vehicle accidents, accidental injuries, and violent crimes. Media included regionally representative local newspapers and television news, USA Today, national news on three national broadcast networks and CNN, and three national news magazines.
Two months’ worth of such stories was carefully sampled during 2002 and 2003. Alcohol was mentioned in 1.2% to 22.2% of stories across media types. Newspapers reported associations with alcohol more frequently than did television. TV news, newspapers, and magazines mentioned alcohol in 13%, 19%, an…