 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Joshua W. Dunsby, PhD, Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, University of California, San Francisco, 530 Parnassus Ave., Suite 366, San Francisco, CA 94143-1390, 415-502-4050, jdunsby@itsa.ucsf.edu and Lisa A. Bero, PhD, Institute for Health Policy Studies, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, and Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, University of California, San Francisco, 530 Parnassus Avenue, Suite 366, Box 1390, Library, San Francisco, CA 94143.
BACKGROUND: The accurate and timely dissemination of medical and science information is essential to a robust health policy process. Given the complexity of health risk information, health and science journalists play a critical role as translators and communicators of the tobacco problem to individuals and policy decision-makers.
OBJECTIVE: To identify tobacco industry strategies for influencing, not just the content of individual news stories, but also the organization and profession of health and science journalism.
METHODS: Internal tobacco industry documents, located on Legacy (http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/) and industry digital archives, were identified using key search terms and analyzed.
RESULTS: The tobacco industry has been monitoring conferences for science writers since at least the 1970s. Tobacco companies have sought to build a network of favorable reporting on issues important to them. They have achieved this goal directly by challenging negative stories and by contracting with freelance writers for positive stories, and indirectly by supporting the profession through awards. Through organization and sponsorship of science journalism conferences and other public relations efforts, the industry has aimed to shape journalistic standards, that is, notions of “good” and “bad” science reporting, particularly in regard to statistical reasoning.
CONCLUSION: The tobacco industry has recognized the importance of health and science journalism to its political agenda. The industry has sought to ally itself with the growing field as way to favorably incorporate its interests. These indirect influences are systemic and long-term, and, therefore, the policy significance should not be discounted compared to more direct means for exercising influence on journalists.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Media, Tobacco Industry
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.