# Media Advocacy Tools

For many years the main role of the media in preventing alcohol,
tobacco, and other drug problems has been to build general awareness of
the problem and to direct messages to the individual to change behavior
regarding the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. Media advocacy,
however, shifts the focus and the message from individual to collective
behavior change, that is, to norms and policies.

A working definition of media advocacy is "the strategic use of media as
a resource for advancing a social or public policy initiative." This
contrasts substantially with the traditional mass media approach that
focuses on individual behavior.

As an example, a few years ago community members were concerned about an
announcement at an Oakland Athletics baseball game about a promotion for
Bud Lite at a future game. Small flashlights with Bud Lite inscribed on
them would be given away to anyone who came to the ballpark who was 16
years of age or older, although the legal drinking age was 21.

Community members decided to challenge Anheuser-Busch for promoting this
particular product in this way. Using contacts with the media, they
raised public concern about the beer promotion, and Anheuser-Busch
canceled its planned giveaway.

This is one way of focusing on alcohol policy through the media, in
contrast to the traditional focus on behavior change. The media was used
to focus public attention on policy issues. The message was, "Shouldn't
the alcohol industry know when to say 'when' in their efforts to promote
alcohol to underage youth?"

In media advocacy, challenging conventional wisdom and public thinking
is important. Mass media becomes the arena for contesting public
policies and for shifting emphasis from individual behavior change to
collective behavior change and policies. Media advocates ask themselves
how a media opportunity can best advance policy goals and shift the
debate from individuals to the collective decisions of policies and
norms.

Using contacts with electronic or print media editors and reporters,
advocates can generate public interest in changing industry promotional
practices, media policies, tax laws, law enforcement practices, labeling
laws, school rules, workplace policies, health care policies, community
norms, and other factors that may contribute to youth alcohol, tobacco,
and other drug use.

Reporters may not be aware of factors in their communities that promote
alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use. By using specific media-related
skills, prevention practitioners can provide them with interesting
information and stories that strategically support prevention agendas.
Those skills include research, creative use of epidemiology and
statistics, issue framing, and gaining access to media outlets.

## 

## Research

It is important for those using media advocacy to have current, relevant
facts and figures on hand and to be able to discuss their implications
for alcohol, tobacco, and other drug issues. Reporters and editors are
more likely to contact people they know who have access to reliable
facts when they are researching a story. It is important to be able to
back up positions with concrete information and data.

Solid research in the alcohol, tobacco, and other drug field is readily
available to prevention practitioners interested in media advocacy. One
major resource is the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention's National
Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI). By calling
toll-free (800) 729-6686, prevention practitioners can obtain resource
manuals, monographs, articles, and literature searches on any related
topic. At the State level, Regional Alcohol and Drug Abuse Resource
(RADAR) Network

Centers serve as local information clearinghouses. RADAR Network Centers
can be located by calling NCADI.

In addition to gathering research on topics of specific interest, media
advocates must also understand how local media outlets operate. Which
reporters are most likely to cover health issues? What are the names of
relevant news editors? Who should receive a news release? This
information can be obtained by studying local media outlets and by
telephoning the news departments and asking for names. Learning how the
media prefers to receive information pays off by making the media
advocate appear more professional and therefore more trustworthy.

## Creative Use of Epidemiology and Other Statistical Data

The creative use of epidemiology and other statistical data is a
powerful strategy. It involves translating the research from often dry
or bewildering facts and figures into attention-grabbing news. News must
have some immediate relevance. In other words, facts must not only be
correct, they should be presented in a way that brings the issue home to
the reader.

For example, the fact that 12 million U.S. college students annually
consume more than 430 million gallons of alcoholic beverages is not
particularly attention grabbing. Expressed more creatively, the
information can be much more effective:

> *The annual alcohol consumption of college students exceeds the volume
> of an Olympic-sized swimming pool for each of the 3,500 colleges and
> universities in the United States.*

This image enables the public to visualize how much students on local
college campuses are drinking. The public might then wonder what the
college presidents and other officials are doing about student drinking.
Expressing data in such a graphic way can help capture the attention of
reporters and ultimately the decision-influencing public and opinion
leaders.

## 

## Framing the Issue

Like the creative transformation of data, framing the issue, or
influencing the terms of the debate, is a useful strategy. With any
issue, both sides attempt to frame the issue to make their positions
seem most reasonable. For example, when media advocates point out that
advertising alcoholic beverages to vulnerable populations should be
limited by law, the alcoholic beverage industry attempts to frame their
position in civic terms. The debate shifts from "Should children be
targeted by beer companies?" to "Should beer companies have their First
Amendment rights protected?"

In addition to framing the issues, the alcoholic beverage industry tries
to frame itself in a positive light---by presenting itself as a
supporter of sporting events, as a patron of local and national artistic
endeavors, as a prevention educator of young people, and as a protector
of freedoms.

According to Lawrence Wallack, DrPH, a professor at the School of Public
Health, University of California at Berkeley, prevention practitioners
have two means of reframing issues that the alcoholic beverage industry
has framed to its own advantage. First, they can focus attention on
promotional practices in the environment as the primary problem, not the
behavior of individuals who drink. Second, they can address industry
practices that appear unethical.

## Gaining Access to the Media

Gaining access to the media involves watching for opportunities to
contact the media with timely information. Contact may be established
through a news release (with a follow-up telephone call), a letter to
the editor, a guest editorial, or a telephone call to build interest in
a story angle. Over time, media advocates can build credibility so that
the media will contact them first when the possibility of an alcohol- or
other drug-related story arises.

Gaining access to the media can help groups gain community support for
their efforts. For example, when SeaWorld in San Diego, California,
owned by Anheuser-Busch, announced its intention to open a hospitality
center where adult park patrons could get two free glasses of beer,
prevention practitioners used media advocacy techniques to bring their
concerns to the attention of the public. The resulting media coverage
led other groups and individuals to join a prevention coalition to
continue SeaWorld protests and address other environmental issues.

## Reference: 

Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. (1993). *Prevention primer: An
encyclopedia of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug prevention terms.*
(DHHS Publication No. SMA 94-2060). Rockville, MD: National
Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information.

# 

# Media Advocacy Case Study

In California, the State legislature passed the "Three Strikes and
You're Out" law in 1994. The law permits revocation of an alcohol
license, if the licensee is caught selling alcohol to minors three times
in a 3-year period. The law gave community members concerned about sales
to minors a means to shut down retailers that would not comply with the
law, and the law warned business owners to take measures to prevent
sales to underage young people if they wanted to stay in business. In
addition, that same year the California Supreme Court ruled that minors
could be used as decoys to conduct compliance checks on licensees.
Further, the following year the California State Department of Alcoholic
Beverage Control (ABC Department) offered grants to communities forming
partnerships with law enforcement to reduce problems associated with
alcohol. Communities used the majority of the grant money to establish
minor decoy programs. The minor decoy programs began to yield
noncompliant retailers, and the three-strikes provision began to pose a
real threat to businesses selling to minors.

In 1998, a California State senator introduced Senate Bill 1696 in the
legislature. The bill allowed a fourth violation in a 3-year period and
restricted the ABC Department's grant funding for decoy programs. The
bill was supported by multiple food and beverage retail associations,
big breweries such as Anheuser-Bush and Miller, and the Wine Institute.
However, when prevention advocates learned about SB 1696, they mobilized
and declared defeating it a top priority.

The California Council on Alcohol Policy distributed legislative alerts
around the State. Members of the North City Prevention Coalition in San
Diego wrote letters to their senator (the author of the bill) opposing
it. Members of the coalition also signed a petition opposing the bill.
Members of the San Diego Council on Alcohol Problems (SANDCAP) also
communicated with the senator and demanded the bill be dropped or
dramatically changed. Other prevention and recovery organizations also
opposed the bill and wrote letters and spoke to the senator. The
director of the San Diego Policy Panel on Youth Access to Alcohol urged
its influential members from a cross-section of the community to work
for the defeat of the bill. One prevention services director estimated
that the senator received more than 500 calls opposing the bill.
California alcohol policy activists met with the senator and wrote
letters to the members of the policy committee.

Policy advocates used their relationship with a San Diego newspaper to
gain public support in San Diego for defeating the bill. The newspaper
editor wrote an editorial describing the bill as beneficial to a
special-interest group and not to the public interest, which prompted
many letters to the editor. The newspaper ran eight more pieces on the
topic within the next few months. The newspaper articles allowed both
sides to voice their arguments. However, alcohol policy advocates made
strong arguments: "What's our priority, industry profit or safety for
our children? The beer industry sells an estimated 1.1 billion cans of
beer each year to junior and high school students; kids already have
ready access to booze. We should be making it more difficult to sell to
them, not easier. The industry is trying to 'buy' a bill in the
legislature to get itself off the hook; it made \$2.4 million dollars in
donations in the 1996-97 legislative year. Why let these 'three-strike'
violators off the hook? Prevention strategies should be implemented
without giving violators a break; 95 percent of Californians want
stricter, not weaker, enforcement" (Ryan & Mosher, 2000, p. 15). This
local media coverage and activism by San Diego residents made it clear
that the senator's local constituency opposed the bill.

Despite all the attention and criticism in San Diego, the bill moved
along with only minor revisions. Policy advocates opposing the bill
believed it was going to pass and decided to strengthen their efforts in
the media to defeat the bill. The advocates knew the media across the
State would be interested in the story. They had data on the amount of
money the alcohol industry donated to political campaigns, and they "had
a frame that would attract attention: The industry was trying to protect
their right to sell to kids" (Ryan & Mosher, 2000). Although the
advocates had been reluctant to criticize the senator and the bill
statewide because they didn't want to anger her and risk their ability
to work with her in the future, they decided to be more explicit. James
E. Mosher, J.D., senior policy advisor, the Marin Institute for
Prevention of Alcohol and Other Drug Problems, sent an op-ed piece on SB
1696 to newspapers in Sacramento and San Jose, outlining the principal
reasons that this was a bad bill; the piece ran a few days later. Soon,
other major newspapers in the State were running stories and editorials
about the bill. The stories generated letters to the editor, mainly in
support of defeating the bill. The media took the frame and called it
the "fourth-strike bill." One headline in San Jose read, "Responsible
retailers don't need SB 1696. And the community doesn't need
irresponsible retailers" (Ryan & Mosher, 2000, p. 24).

Apparently the media coverage worked. The senator agreed to meet with
policy advocates to seriously discuss their concerns. She amended the
bill by removing the fourth-strike provision and retaining the grant
funding for the minor decoy programs. Grassroots organizing to generate
media coverage at the local level didn't seem to be enough to defeat the
bill. Nearly everyone involved in defeating the bill felt it would not
have been amended without the broad negative media attention the bill
received. The surprise victory for the alcohol policy activists proved
the effectiveness of their media advocacy efforts and helped to
strengthen their confidence and commitment. Further, and most important,
because of the relationships that were developed, alcohol policy
advocates now sit at the table with legislators to assist in drafting
bills related to prevention issues and continue to work with the media
(Ryan & Mosher, 2000).

## Reference:

Ryan, B. E., & Mosher, J. K. (2000). *The campaign against SB 1696: No
4th strike for California retailers who sell alcohol to minors.* San
Rafael, CA: The Marin Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Other
Drug Problems.

# Gaining Access to the Media

+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------+
| Method                  | Tip                                        |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------+
| Monitor the media.      | a.  Determine how an issue is being        |
|                         |     covered.                               |
|                         |                                            |
|                         | b.  Observe main themes and arguments.     |
|                         |                                            |
|                         | c.  Determine who appears as the           |
|                         |     spokesperson, what solutions are being |
|                         |     presented, who is named as the problem |
|                         |     solver, and what facts could improve   |
|                         |     the advocate's side.                   |
|                         |                                            |
|                         | d.  Determine which reporters cover        |
|                         |     certain issues.                        |
|                         |                                            |
|                         | e.  Determine who the target audience is   |
|                         |     for each media outlet.                 |
|                         |                                            |
|                         | f.  Determine which media outlet can       |
|                         |     provide the most in-depth coverage of  |
|                         |     an issue.                              |
|                         |                                            |
|                         | g.  Determine which media outlet is more   |
|                         |     likely to be sympathetic to the        |
|                         |     advocate's issue.                      |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------+
| Contact members of the  | a.  Send out news releases. (Keep them     |
| media.                  |     short and to the point; include all    |
|                         |     relevant information; and follow up    |
|                         |     with a phone call.)                    |
|                         |                                            |
|                         | b.  Hold a press conference. (Use          |
|                         |     cautiously---the news to be announced  |
|                         |     at the conference should be            |
|                         |     newsworthy, dramatic, significant, or  |
|                         |     controversial.)                        |
|                         |                                            |
|                         | c.  Write a letter to the editor. (Make    |
|                         |     one point per letter.)                 |
|                         |                                            |
|                         | d.  Host a newsworthy event. (Provide good |
|                         |     photo opportunities.)                  |
|                         |                                            |
|                         | e.  Write an op-ed piece or guest          |
|                         |     editorial. (Keep it simple, with no    |
|                         |     more than three to four main points.)  |
|                         |                                            |
|                         | f.  Call individual reporters. (Send an    |
|                         |     introductory letter about the issue(s) |
|                         |     for which you can be a resource.)      |
|                         |                                            |
|                         | g.  Develop relationships with             |
|                         |     journalists. For example, send         |
|                         |     complimentary letters to reporters     |
|                         |     about well-presented stories.          |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------+
| Conduct interviews.     | a.  Develop two to three main points.      |
|                         |                                            |
|                         | b.  Develop several key phrases.           |
|                         |                                            |
|                         | c.  State points and phrases regardless of |
|                         |     questions.                             |
|                         |                                            |
|                         | d.  Avoid jargon and acronyms.             |
|                         |                                            |
|                         | e.  Anticipate questions and practice      |
|                         |     answering them.                        |
|                         |                                            |
|                         | f.  Be honest.                             |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------+

*Reference:*

Hogan, J., Gabrielsen, K., Luna, N., & Grothaus, D. (2003). *Substance
abuse prevention: The intersection of science and practice.* Boston:
Allyn and Bacon.

# Effective Media Messages

## Are based on fact and focus on immediate consequences

The message must be meaningful and appeal to the target audience. It
should be based on fact and linked to the present rather than to the
future, especially if the focus audience is young people. For example, a
message promoting nonsmoking can present messages about the immediate
consequences of smoking, such as bad breath, yellow teeth, or reduced
energy, rather than focusing on the future threat of cancer or
emphysema. Scare tactics, which include fear arousal, and messages
addressing the most extreme consequences of substance use should be
avoided because they have failed to influence long-term behavior change.

## Clearly state the desired behavior and its benefits

The media message should clearly state the desired behavior or behavior
change the message is promoting and describe the benefits of adopting
the new behavior. If the focus audience is already involved in the
behavior to be avoided, then the message will be different than if they
are not yet involved (Breitrose, 1992). For example, a message to
smokers who want to quit smoking will be different than a message to
smokers who think smoking is cool and are not interested in quitting; it
will also be different than a message to nonsmokers.

## Use positive emotional appeals

The arguments used to persuade the audience should be carefully
considered. The messages may appeal to emotions such as fear of social
disapproval, self-esteem, patriotism, and humor, **but they are more
effective if they appeal to positive emotions** (Breitrose, 1992).
Social marketers can also learn from traditional marketers in this area.
The persuasion techniques described in the media literacy section may be
helpful in developing messages to persuade young people to live healthy,
drug-free lifestyles. For example, an emotional appeal may be used to
focus attention on the harmful effects of a substance, humor can be used
to describe the irony of using substances while participating in sports,
or group dynamics may be used to persuade young people that not everyone
is using drugs and that there is plenty of peer support for nonuse. The
appeal selected will vary depending on the focus audience. If the focus
audience does not yet care about an issue, then an emotional appeal may
be a way to grab their attention. Although fear may be a way to get the
audience involved, fear tactics alone are insufficient to change
behavior. Therefore, if this tactic is used, information about how
people can avoid undesirable behavior and negative situations associated
with it must also be provided. Focusing on the advantages of engaging in
desired, positive behavior may be even more persuasive. Further,
messages should avoid eliciting such strong emotion that the audience
reacts inappropriately, such as denying there is a problem or believing
that adverse consequences of the behavior will not happen to them. If
the emotional arousal causes the focus audience to dismiss the message
or to feel that nothing can be done to create healthy behaviors and
avoid unhealthy ones, they are unlikely to attend to the message. In
general, **the use of fear is unlikely to effect behavior change and may
reduce the effectiveness of subsequent health promotions because these
messages may lose credibility with the audience**. Therefore, this
appeal should rarely be used (Soames, 1988).

## 

## 

## Appeal to logic and reason and use humor

Effective media messages also appeal to logic or reason. A logical or
reasonable approach may be effective if the target audience already
cares about or is involved in the issue or behavior. A logical or
reasonable approach may include proving that using alcohol, tobacco, and
other drugs should be avoided; this approach may also include showing
ways to say no to drug offers or ways to avoid drug use in risky
situations that are common to the focus audience. Humor, when used
effectively, can also be an effective way to engage an audience. It is
important to remember that humor is shaped by culture and context, and
that the message should be funny to the focus audience and should not be
offensive.

## Model desired behavior

Media messages modeling desired behavior are effective ways to influence
behavior. A message that shows a positive behavior, as opposed to one
that shows a negative behavior that the audience is warned to avoid, is
more likely to be successful (Breitrose, 1992). For example, if you want
the focus audience to avoid smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol,
avoid showing young people engaging in that behavior in the
advertisement; rather, show them engaged in attractive activities.
Positive modeling shows the focus audience that people do practice the
healthy behaviors. Models used in such media messages should have
attributes similar to the focus audience. If models are too different
from the intended audience, the audience is likely to discount the
message because the possible benefit being extolled will not seem
germane to their personal situations. For example, if the audience is
teenage boys living in rural areas, then 30-year-old males in an urban
setting should not be delivering the media message.

> Breitrose, P. (1992). *PSAs that work: Guidelines to help you select
> or produce effective health promotion public service announcements.*
> Palo Alto, CA: Health Promotion Resource Center & Office for Substance
> Abuse Prevention.

Soames Job, R.F. (1988). Effective and ineffective use of fear in health
promotion campaigns. *American Journal of Public Health,* 78, 163-167.