A strategy for increasing news media coverage of tobacco and health in Australia

Background: In many nations, government fiscal restraint is reducing the ab ility of public health authorities to mount mass-reach health information a dvertising campaigns. Strategies for increasing news coverage of health iss ues, and thereby contributing to policy advocacy, are well recognized, yet under-explored in health promotion research. Objective: To increase news co verage of smoking and health issues by issuing media releases about researc h judged as newsworthy and important in contributing to tobacco control pol icy debates. Method: Research reports selected for their potential newswort hiness were promoted in news releases and their news 'hit rates' in New Sou th Wales (Australia) metropolitan media over 5 weeks were compared with the background coverage of tobacco control issues over the same period. Result s: Fifty-eight of 283 (20.5%) news reports on tobacco in the study period w ere generated by the six media releases Conclusions: News reportage of toba cco control and other public health issues cart be increased significantly by the strategic use of news releases alerting journalists to research repo rts that embody recognizable news values. This is an inexpensive strategy w ith great potential to advance public health objectives.