From myth of marginality to portrayals of an addictive society: Reporting on addictions in the Finnish press (1968–2006)

Abstract

This study uses a systematically collected dataset to explore and discuss how the coverage of addiction has changed in Finland's biggest daily, Helsingin Sanomat, during the period 1968–2006. Newspaper texts have been collected through systematic reading of 432 issues (N = 432) from sampled weeks with the main aim of investigating some general trends in the addiction reporting over time. The study consists of two main parts. First, based on a systematic reading the themes, formats and frequency of addiction reporting were examined. In the second stage, a content analysis was conducted on a corpus of texts on addiction (n = 200) selected with the main criteria of dealing with “continous problematic repetitive behavior” that is related to excessive alcohol use, drug intake, tobacco use, compulsive eating, gambling, and sexual behavior. Variables to be analyzed are (1) type of addiction dealt with, (2) who is the addict, and (3) view(s) on type of problem as portrayed in the text. The results from the study show that the addiction reporting starts out from being a more clear product of so called time-out culture (Jensen BK. 1995. The social semiotics of mass communication. London: SAGE Publications), reflecting on the extraordinary and describing marginality. In the end of the 1990s, the texts start to have another function as compulsive behaviors are seen as something more common, and described more often from the individual's perspective. At the same time, a general tabloidization is putting its marks on the form and content of the addiction coverage.

• Addiction in newspapers
• concept of addiction
• content analysis

Notes

Notes

1. χ² = 6.09 (critical value for 0.05 (1) = 3.85).

2. χ² = 4.5 (critical value for 0.05 (1) = 3.85).

3. Three persons were given both the selection and coding criteria and were asked to fill in coding sheets with the three groups of variables. They were asked to decide whether they thought a text should be included in the material, and then to tick the categories that they thought applied to each of the chosen texts. The concurrence rate with the choices made by the author was 90% (27 out of 30). The corresponding concurrence rate for the categories was 91% (63 of 69). As the coders were allowed to tick more than one category for each text, they sometimes ticked extra categories that were not noted by the author. This was the case particularly with variables 2 and 3. In cases where additional alternatives were inconsistent with the author's coding, the outside coding showed an average concurrence rate of 79% (Coder 1: 20/24 (83%), Coder 2: 13/21 (62%), Coder 3: 21/24 (92%)). Given that the reliability trial was conducted with particularly difficult cases, it is fair to conclude that the inter-rater reliability scores were very high. It is, however, important to stress that measuring how people perceive messages in a textual material can give different outcomes depending on the coders chosen. The coders for this trial had the following profile: Coder 1: female, age 26; Coder 2: male, age 43; Coder 3: female, age 32.