Quid pro quo: African American media and the tobacco industry

Background: African Americans bear the highest tobacco-related disease burden of any U.S. group, and blacks have the worst health outcomes from tobacco. African American media, particularly newspapers, play important roles in conveying information to the black community. This study explored black media relationships with tobacco companies. Methods: The Legacy Tobacco Documents Library was searched for documents relating to the black press. Documents were analyzed thematically to prepare a chronological case study. Results: The black press has had a long relationship with the tobacco industry, which provided journalism scholarships, event sponsorships, and advertising dollars. The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), representing over 200 black newspapers, encouraged members to provide editorial support for tobacco industry policy positions, reminding them that they should do so because tobacco companies had supported the black press when other industries did not. Beginning in 1990, resistance from within the black community and dropping advertising budgets created counter-pressures. While its advertising budget for minority media fluctuated, the tobacco industry continued to expect NNPA editorial support. Implications: The Code of Journalistic Ethics holds that journalists should “deny favored treatment to advertisers and special interests and resist their pressure to influence news coverage.” The ‘quid pro quo' between tobacco companies and the black press violated ethical standards and may have contributed to dissemination of inaccurate messages about tobacco. Addressing tobacco's disproportionate toll on African Americans must include efforts to further strengthen public health ties with black media and to expose how furthering tobacco industry positions damages the black community.