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Implications for alcohol minimum unit pricing advocacy: What can we learn for public health from UK newsprint coverage of key claim-makers in the policy debate?

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  • Hilton, Shona
  • Wood, Karen
  • Patterson, Chris
  • Katikireddi, Srinivasa Vittal

Abstract

On May 24th 2012, Scotland passed the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) Bill. Minimum unit pricing (MUP) is an intervention that raises the price of the cheapest alcohol to reduce alcohol consumption and related harms. There is a growing literature on industry's influence in policymaking and media representations of policies, but relatively little about frames used by key claim-makers in the public MUP policy debate. This study elucidates the dynamic interplay between key claim-makers to identify lessons for policy advocacy in the media in the UK and internationally. Content analysis was conducted on 262 articles from seven UK and three Scottish national newspapers between 1st May 2011 and 31st May 2012, retrieved from electronic databases. Advocates' and critics' constructions of the alcohol problem and MUP were examined. Advocates depicted the problem as primarily driven by cheap alcohol and marketing, while critics' constructions focused on youth binge drinkers and dependent drinkers. Advocates justified support by citing the intervention's targeted design, but critics denounced the policy as illegal, likely to encourage illicit trade, unsupported by evidence and likely to be ineffective, while harming the responsible majority, low-income consumers and businesses. Critics' arguments were consistent over time, and single statements often encompassed multiple rationales. This study presents advocates with several important lessons for promoting policies in the media. Firstly, it may be useful to shift focus away from young binge drinkers and heavy drinkers, towards population-level over-consumption. Secondly, advocates might focus on presenting the policy as part of a wider package of alcohol policies. Thirdly, emphasis on the success of recent public health policies could help portray the UK and Scotland as world leaders in tackling culturally embedded health and social problems through policy; highlighting past successes when presenting future policies may be a valuable tactic both within the UK and internationally.

Suggested Citation

  • Hilton, Shona & Wood, Karen & Patterson, Chris & Katikireddi, Srinivasa Vittal, 2014. "Implications for alcohol minimum unit pricing advocacy: What can we learn for public health from UK newsprint coverage of key claim-makers in the policy debate?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 157-164.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:102:y:2014:i:c:p:157-164
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2013.11.041
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Julien Mercille, 2017. "Media Coverage of Alcohol Issues: A Critical Political Economy Framework—A Case Study from Ireland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-13, June.
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    3. MacLean, Sarah & Room, Robin & Cook, Megan & Mugavin, Janette & Callinan, Sarah, 2022. "Affordances of home drinking in accounts from light and heavy drinkers," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 296(C).
    4. Eastmure, Elizabeth & Cummins, Steven & Sparks, Leigh, 2020. "Non-market strategy as a framework for exploring commercial involvement in health policy: A primer," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 262(C).
    5. Christina H Buckton & Chris Patterson & Lirije Hyseni & S Vittal Katikireddi & Ffion Lloyd-Williams & Alex Elliott-Green & Simon Capewell & Shona Hilton, 2018. "The palatability of sugar-sweetened beverage taxation: A content analysis of newspaper coverage of the UK sugar debate," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(12), pages 1-15, December.
    6. Tatiana Breder Emerich & Aline Guio Cavaca & Edson Theodoro Santos-Neto & Victor Israel Gentilli & Adauto Emmerich Oliveira, 2017. "Media Valuations of Health Journalism and Health Dynamics in Brazilian Printed Media," International Journal of Social Science Studies, Redfame publishing, vol. 5(1), pages 31-42, January.
    7. Srinivasa Vittal Katikireddi & Shona Hilton & Chris Bonell & Lyndal Bond, 2014. "Understanding the Development of Minimum Unit Pricing of Alcohol in Scotland: A Qualitative Study of the Policy Process," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(3), pages 1-10, March.
    8. Fiona O’May & Jan Gill & Heather Black & Cheryl Rees & Jonathan Chick & Barbara McPake, 2016. "Heavy Drinkers’ Perspectives on Minimum Unit Pricing for Alcohol in Scotland," SAGE Open, , vol. 6(3), pages 21582440166, July.
    9. Thornton, Mary & Hawkins, Benjamin, 2017. "Between a rock and a hard place: Economic expansion and social responsibility in UK media discourses on the global alcohol industry," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 169-176.

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