The social construction of the crack epidemic in the print media

Early news coverage of the rapid expansions and horrors associated with use of crack in the mid-1980s led to a great panic. Scholarly research subsequently debunked the various myths emanating from this media scare. This article examines whether this expanded understanding was reflected in the quality of news coverage over time through a comprehensive examination of all articles about crack cocaine appearing in the New York Times, Time, and Newsweek from 1985 through 1995. It was found that later news stories were generally less blatant, but overall did not correct for previous exaggerations. The long-term perspective also revealed an insidious bias in news coverage through its focus on the inner city, in spite of broader use of crack. This misleading view of "the problem" constructed by the media probably helped divert attention from persistent structural problems facing the inner-city. Scholars and activists need to continue their efforts to focus attention on the underlying social problems to counteract the media's propensity to focus on what might more appropriately be termed symptoms, such as the "crack epidemic."