The print media's construction of the ‘drug problem’ in Victorian newspapers: The case of North Richmond Community Health's medically supervised injecting room

Abstract

Introduction. The media's influence on policy has been widely documented. This study sought to investigate how Melbourne's medically supervised injecting room (MSIR) was represented in the print media. Methods. A qualitative discourse analysis of Victorian print media (n = 441 items) representation of MSIR was conducted. Constructivist Grounded Theory guided the sampling strategy and coding while the discourse analysis was informed by Bacchi's approach to policy analysis, 'What's the problem represented to be?'. Print news media was gathered from Factiva and Newsbank databases from January 2016 to June 2020. Results. The media's representation of the 'drug problem' of overdose was identified by a range of actors in support and opposition of the facility. In attributing the concept of 'drug use' to the 'drug problem' items most frequently suggest it is the 'choice' of the individual to inject illicit drugs. The voices of people who inject drugs (PWID) were largely silenced in the print news media and to re-conceptualise the 'drug problem' to be a 'health problem' would aid in the support for the harm reduction strategy. The research highlighted 'dividing practices' (residents vs. PWID) and the portrayal of PWID that translate to the lived effects of PWID. Discussion and Conclusions. The print news media did not directly influence the establishment of the Melbourne MSIR. However, the representation of PWID in the print media must be further investigated for the successful establishment of future harm reduction strategies. [Whiteside B, Dunn M. The print media's construction of the 'drug problem' in Victorian newspapers: The case of North Richmond Community Health's medically supervised injecting room.

Lives Worth Grieving: Differential Coverage of Overdose Deaths in Australian News Media (2015–2020)

“…It is useful however to look to the context upon which much of this coverage formed part of: a public policy conversation about the proposed supervised injecting room in Melbourne. Our findings align closely with research on print media constructions of the “drug problem” leading up to the establishment of the injecting room in Melbourne: that is, injecting drug use is presented in depoliticized and individualized terms, as a bad “choice”; the voices of people who inject are essentially absent from the coverage; and there is a focus on drug use as a “health problem” in ways that ostensibly generate support for a harm reduction service (Whiteside & Dunn, 2022). In this way, the framing of the deaths in the injecting coverage as part of a public policy conversation about a proposed supervised injecting site in Melbourne is paternalistic—the audience is asked to consider this “controversial” proposal as an act of mercy on desperate people.…”

How has the media framed the introduction of the supervised injecting room in Victoria? A comparison of editorials of The Age and Herald Sun 2017–2022

“…It has often been argued that the media plays an influential role in framing community attitudes and public policymaking processes around the causes of, and potential solutions to, illicit drug use (Atkinson et al, 2019;Hoare, 2004;Rowe, 2004;Whiteside & Dunn, 2022). Lancaster et al (2011) apply concepts from media and communications literature to illicit drug issues in Australia.…”

“…But PUDs, and also consumer and advocacy groups, were mostly silenced. The study suggested that their absence from the debate could be “detrimental to the implementation and continued operation” of the MSIR in terms of providing effective support programmes (Whiteside & Dunn, 2022: 823). However, the study concluded that print media views had little impact on the establishment of the MSIR, or its continued operation, and/or the government proposal for a second site.…”

News media both represents and acts: Commentary on Howse et al. news media content analysis of Sydney's ‘last drinks’ laws

“…Researchers may also draw on explicit theoretical and analytic frameworks to attend more closely to the ways news media constitute problems as particular sorts of problems (what is assumed and what may be silenced) and to consider the effects such enactments produce [e.g. [4][5][6][7]. In the case of Sydney's liquor licence reforms, the news media took an explicit stance on the matter, at least initially.…”