Alcohol, illegal drugs, violent crime, and traffic-related and other unintended injuries in U.S. local and national news.
OBJECTIVE
The present study seeks to establish the extent to which media coverage acknowledges alcohol's contribution to violent crime as well as to motor vehicle injuries and other injury incidents.


METHODS
The study content-analyzes a unique sample, closely approximating national representativeness, of local and national television news, local newspapers, and national magazines randomly sampled during a 2-year period.


RESULTS
Alcohol's role in violent crime and, to a lesser extent, in motor vehicle and other injury incidents is underreported relative to available estimates regarding alcohol-attributable fractions. Relative frequency of various news frames for coverage of alcohol and illegal drugs and differences in coverage of alcohol and illegal drugs as a function of the type of story and news medium are described.


CONCLUSIONS
The underreporting in the United States of alcohol's contribution to serious and fatal injury from these causes may reduce public perceptions of alcohol-related risks, potentially influencing behavior, including public support of alcohol-control policies. This provides an opportunity for media-advocacy approaches to improve public health content of news coverage.
Slater
Michael D
MD
The Ohio State University, 3022 Derby Hall, Columbus, Ohio 43210-1339, USA. slater.59@osu.edu
Long
Marilee
M
Ford
Valerie L
VL
D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000453:epidemiology; D003415:Crime / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008402:Mass Media; D014481:United States; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
D013287:Illicit Drugs