title: Why media representations of corporations matter for public health policy: a scoping review.
abstract: Media representations play a crucial role in informing public and policy opinions about the causes of, and solutions to, ill-health. This paper reviews studies analysing media coverage of non-communicable disease (NCD) debates, focusing on how the industries marketing commodities that increase NCD risk are represented.
  
  
  
  A scoping review identified 61 studies providing information on media representations of NCD risks, NCD policies and tobacco, alcohol, processed food and soft drinks industries. The data were narratively synthesized to describe the sample, media depictions of industries, and corporate and public health attempts to frame the media debates.
  
  
  
  The findings indicate that: (i) the limited research that has been undertaken is dominated by a focus on tobacco; (ii) comparative research across industries/risk-factors is particularly lacking; and (iii) coverage tends to be dominated by two contrasting frames and focuses either on individual responsibilities ('market justice' frames, often promoted by commercial stakeholders) or on the need for population-level interventions ('social justice' frames, frequently advanced by public health advocates).
  
  
  
  Establishing the underlying frameworks is crucial for the analysis of media representation of corporations, as they reflect the strategies that respective actors use to influence public health debates and decision making. The potential utility of media research lies in the insights that it can provide for public health policy advocates about successful framing of public health messages and strategies to counter frames that undermine public health goals. A better understanding of current media debates is of paramount importance to improving global health.
authors: MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, 200 Renfield Street, Glasgow, G2 3QB, UK.
authors: Heide
authors: H
authors: Weishaar
authors: Berkeley Media Studies Group, Public Health Institute, and University of California, 2130 Center St. Ste. 302, Berkeley, CA, 94704, USA.
authors: Lori
authors: L
authors: Dorfman
authors: City University of New York School of Public Health, 55 West 125th Street, New York, NY, 10027, USA.
authors: Nicholas
authors: N
authors: Freudenberg
authors: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 15-17 Tavistock Place, London, WC1H 9SH, UK.
authors: Benjamin
authors: B
authors: Hawkins
authors: , 2.27 Chrystal Macmillan Building 15a George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9LD, UK.
authors: Katherine
authors: K
authors: Smith
authors: Bielefeld School of Public Health, Bielefeld University, Post box No.10 01 31, 33501, Bielefeld, Germany. oliver.razum@uni-bielefeld.de.
authors: Oliver
authors: O
authors: Razum
authors: MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, 200 Renfield Street, Glasgow, G2 3QB, UK.
authors: Shona
authors: S
authors: Hilton
mesh_terms: D019649:Food Industry; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D040541:Marketing; D008402:Mass Media; D011634:Public Health; D011639:Public Opinion; D012307:Risk Factors; D012935:Social Justice; D019460:Tobacco Industry
keywords: Corporations; Framing; Media analysis; Non-communicable diseases