Dr Catriona Rooke Research Fellow, Centre for Population Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh
Abstract
Electronic or ‘e-cigarettes’ have recently been attracting interest for their potential as a less harmful alternative to smoking, a quitting aid and the regulatory issues they raise. The media plays an important role in shaping public perceptions of new technologies. It is, therefore, important to understand the ways the media present e-cigarettes.
This presentation reports on a study that examined how e-cigarettes are framed in the UK and Scottish press. Twelve national UK and Scottish newspapers and the three most popular online news sources were searched between 2007 and 2012. A frame analysis was conducted to explore how the meanings, uses and users of e-cigarettes are presented, and whether and how this has changed. Five key framings of e-cigarettes that emerged from the analysis will be outlined: e-cigarettes as a way to get around smokefree legislation; as a risky new product; a healthier choice; the ‘latest must-have accessory’; their price.
The presentation will conclude by discussing some of the issues these framings raise for tobacco control.
Source of funding: UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies (UKCTCS).
