Where the Fault Lies: Representations of Addiction in Audience Reactions to Media Coverage of the Opioid Epidemic

Abstract

The unprecedented number of deaths in the U.S. attributed to opioids has been referred to as an “epidemic of addiction.” Media coverage of the epidemic has stoked public discussion of addiction on social media platforms. This article describes how addiction is represented in comments on media coverage of the “opioid epidemic” and examines the relationship between media framing and audience representations of addiction. Content analysis methods were applied to data obtained from news posts ( n = 397) and comments ( n = 2,836) on the Facebook pages of 42 newspapers in Ohio, where overdose deaths are among the highest in the U.S. Eleven percent of comments were identified as referencing addiction ( n = 319). These comments were classified into two overarching categories: (1) support, disease, and contributing factors expressed support for persons affected by the epidemic, represented addiction as a disease requiring treatment, and highlighted social and structural factors seen as contributing to the epidemic (61.1% of comments referencing addiction); and (2) misdirected attention and individual blame questioned the media focus on addiction and overdose deaths, highlighted individual choices to misuse opioids, and suggested that media coverage of the epidemic diverts attention away from other social problems viewed as being more worthy of public attention (38.9% of comments). Representations of addiction in comments were found to be independent of (not associated with) frames in media coverage ( p = .945). Together, these results suggest that while a majority of commenters represent addiction as a legitimate social problem that warrants intervention and support, a substantial minority are dismissive of the epidemic, express anger and disdain for persons who use opioids, and seek to counter popular narratives of social and structural factors contributing to addiction.

Grieving a Drug-Related Death in the Context of One's Own Drug Use: An Exploratory Study

“…Stigmatization associated with drug use and DRD is known to occur (Dyregrov & Selseng, 2021; Revier, 2020; Robertson et al, 2021; Russell et al, 2020). Following a DRD, bereaved persons who are using drugs seem to experience a double stigma where both the way the deceased died and their own way of handling the grief are stigmatized.…”

Strengthening Communities: A Qualitative Assessment of Opportunities for the Prevention of Adverse Childhood Experiences in the Wake of the Opioid Crisis

“…Many parents also believed that there was not anything that could have been done to prevent both which reinforces that substance use is being perceived as an individual issue and not the result of the community conditions that may also contribute to high rates of opioid misuse as outlined by the WHO Social Determinants of Health Framework (Soler & Irwin, 2010 ). This suggests the need for norms and narrative change work which is a process for creating new public narratives to reduce stigma and increase support for programs that create safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments for all children and their families (Klevens & Meltzer, 2019 ; Russell et al, 2020 ). Prior narrative change work focused on shifting the narrative around child abuse and neglect from a “bad parents” frame to one that focuses on societal responsibilities to ensure that all children are safe and healthy (Frameworks Institute, 2004 ).…”

Coverage of the Opioid Crisis in National Network Television News from 2000–2020: A Content Analysis

“…Most existing studies on news media coverage of the opioid crisis have utilized newspaper news coverage 14 , 15 , 22 , 24 – 27 or a combination of newspaper and television (TV) news sources 16 , 17 , 28 . Where TV news has been included, transcripts, rather than recorded clips of TV content, have been used, precluding analysis of visual aspects of the coverage, including the race of interviewed patients and depiction of graphic drug use-related material 16 , 17 , 28 .…”

“…14,18,19 However, many other studies have reported portrayal of OUD patients sympathetically as victims who often fell into addiction following legitimate pain prescriptions. [20][21][22][23] Most existing studies on news media coverage of the opioid crisis have utilized newspaper news coverage 14,15,22,[24][25][26][27] or a combination of newspaper and television (TV) news sources. 16,17,28 Where TV news has been included, transcripts, rather than recorded clips of TV content, have been used, precluding analysis of visual aspects of the coverage, including the race of interviewed patients and depiction of graphic drug use-related material.…”