Media Advocacy and Underage Drinking Policies: A Study of Louisiana News Media From 1994 Through 2003

• Published in: Health promotion practice Vol. 6; no. 3; pp. 246 - 257
• Main Authors: Harwood, Eileen M., Witson, Jean C., Fan, David P., Wagenaar, Alexander C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thousand Oaks, CA Sage Publications 01.07.2005
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior; Age Factors; Alcohol Drinking - legislation & jurisprudence; Alcohol Drinking - prevention & control; Child; Drinking age (law); Drinking and traffic accidents; Health Policy; Humans; Louisiana; Mass Media; Policy and Politics; Political uses; Public health; Public Opinion; United States; Louisiana; time trends; policies; underage drinking; media advocacy; policy advocacy
• ISSN: 1524-8399; 1552-6372
• DOI: 10.1177/1524839905276079

The communications literature firmly establishes the significant role of media advocacy in setting public agenda and influencing the direction of public opinion on social issues. Recent public health campaigns embrace media advocacy as an integral part of efforts to change public health policies, yet further studies are needed on the best strategies to promote legislative action. This article examines press coverage in the Baton Rouge Advocate and the New Orleans Times-Picayune newspapers and Louisiana State legislation pertaining to underage drinking from January 1994 to June 2003 and focuses on evidence of media priming and framing of underage drinking and four related legislative policies. High press coverage of alcohol bills during the legislative process was associated with defeated legislation, whereas little or no press coverage was associated with bills successfully passed into law. The authors conclude that more work is needed to understand how media advocacy strategies may hinder enactment of bills.