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Chapter 12 - The Role of Media Reporting for Substance Use Stigma

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 June 2022

By
Eva Baumann ,
Philip Horsfield ,
Anna Freytag  and
Georg Schomerus
Edited by
Georg Schomerus  and
Patrick William Corrigan
Georg Schomerus
Affiliation:
Universität Leipzig
Patrick William Corrigan
Affiliation:
Illinois Institute of Technology
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Summary

What people know and how they think about drug use, consumption practices, and addiction is considerably influenced by the way the topic is talked about and framed in the media. Problems associated with the stigma of substance use disorders (SUDs) point to the need to identify factors that contribute to stigmatization and the urgency to outline courses of action to combat the stigma of addiction and other SUDs. The chapter first lays out the role the media take regarding the stigmatization of people with SUDs and refers to theoretical approaches in communication science. Findings on the coverage of people with SUDs in the media and mechanisms that lead to stigmatizing portrayals are delineated. In a second step, media guidelines as a possible means to strengthen the destigmatizing role of the media are described and discussed. Against this background, the media’s role in reporting for substance use stigma is discussed.

Keywords

stigmacommunicationframingmediajournalismpublic opinionmedia guidelines
Type
Chapter
Information
The Stigma of Substance Use Disorders , pp. 213 - 231
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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