Setting the policy agenda for graphic health warning labels: An analysis of online news media coverage in South Korea, 2016

Abstract

INTRODUCTION In South Korea, a bill requesting the implementation of graphic health warning labels (GHWLs) on tobacco products was adopted at the Assembly Plenary Session on 29 May 2015, and the law was implemented on 23 December 2016. During the period, a plan of the technical details of GHWLs, such as the making of graphic warnings, was examined by the Regulatory Reform Committee (RRC). This study aims to investigate what the media reported over that period and whether the RRC’s policy decisions changed. METHODS We conducted a content analysis of online media reports from the first legislative examination (22 April 2016) to the re-examination (13 May 2016). We coded 150 news reports according to two types (news and opinions) and three slants in terms of being in favor of or opposed to the initially government’s implementation plan of GHWLs: positive, negative, and neutral. RESULTS At the first legislative examination, some committee members recommended placing pictorial warnings at the bottom of a cigarette pack as opposed to the plan. Initially, the media reported the results of the committee decisions neutrally. However, over time, positive news and opinions on tobacco control policy and support for positioning the GHWLs at the top of packages increased before the committee carried out the re-examination. Only 15 (10.0%) news reports adopted a negative slant, while the reports with positive (n=101; 67.3%) and neutral slants (n=34; 22.7%) comprised the majority. At the re-examination, the committee withdrew their earlier recommendation to position the GHWLs at the bottom of cigarette packs, finally deciding that the pictorial warnings should be located at the top of the packs, as per the original government’s plan. CONCLUSIONS The friendly media coverage of the tobacco control policy suggests that the media would be a major factor in the policymakers’ decision. Because the media play an important role in defining social issues in the policy-decision process, garnering support from the media is important in the tobacco control legislative process.

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