Recorded presentation

Catherine Siebel, MA¹, Chris Martin², and Ann Haggerty, MPH¹. (1) Health Research & Policy Centers, University of Illinois - Chicago, 850 West Jackson Blvd., Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60607, 312-355-4551, csiebel@uic.edu, (2) Marketing Communications, Rush University Medical Center, 1700 West Van Buren Street, Suite 250, Chicago, IL 60612

Media advocacy is a multi-faceted endeavor with considerable research to support its role in underpinning public health efforts. Media advocates, concerned with getting their issues covered as news stories, often focus on the local level; for example, newspaper advocacy often takes the form of letter writing or promoting local coverage of a sponsored event. There has, however, been little consideration of the impact of news wire service reports and their potential variation according to local public health funding. Beyond the decision of whether to run a given story, several factors affect the potential impact of an article: the placement, size, presence of locally-relevant information and headline each play a role. This vast potential for variation in a single story suggests the need for research into the possibility that a well-funded public health advocate has the potential to sway the presentation of wire service reports. Our project seeks to examine this relationship, using a multiple-variable coding scheme that we will apply to a sample of Associated Press stories printed in daily newspapers around the country. Using SmokeLess States funding as a predictor, our analysis will include an assessment of the story’s prominence (size, front page) and primary topic, space allotted to comments by tobacco industry and tobacco control representatives, and the extent to which the story and the headline indicate a positive or negative position toward tobacco control. Additionally, we will control for other state-level characteristics, including population demographics, socioeconomic factors, and the relative importance of tobacco to the state economy.

Learning Objectives: By the end of the paper presentation, audience members will

• Possess a greater understanding of the process behind an Associated Press (AP) story.
• Understand the potential relationship between tobacco control funding and the degree to which tobacco-related AP stories are emphasized in local newspapers.
• Understand how well-funded media advocacy tactics can change the nature of tobacco coverage.

Keywords: Media Advocacy, Tobacco Control

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.

Recorded presentation