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Published on: January 5, 2018
The Other Infodemic: Media Misinformation about Involuntary Commitment for Substance Use
Sunyou Kang1, Katie McCreedy, John Messinger
1From the Health in Justice Action Lab, School of Law and College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA (SK, KM, JM, LB; Division of Infectious Disease and Global Public Health, UC San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA (SK, LB); Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (JM); Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA (KM, LB); University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (SK); and College of Arts, Media, and Design, Northeastern University, Boston, MA (RB).
Media coverage of involuntary commitment for substance use often overlooks health concerns and lived experiences. Critical articles, though less frequent, gain more social media attention, highlighting a gap in public discourse.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Media Studies
- Legal Policy
Background:
- Rising drug-related deaths have led to increased use of involuntary commitment for substance use.
- Mainstream media coverage frequently omits critical health and ethical considerations.
- Misinformation regarding involuntary commitment for substance use remains largely unassessed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze media coverage of involuntary commitment for substance use.
- To assess the prevalence and dynamics of misinformation in this coverage.
- To evaluate the alignment of media narratives with scientific and ethical concerns.
Main Methods:
- Content analysis of media articles on involuntary commitment for substance use (January 2015 - October 2020).
- Coding for viewpoints, substances, incarceration discussions, and specific drug mentions.
- Tracking Facebook shares to gauge content reach and engagement.
Main Results:
- 48% of articles supported involuntary commitment, 30% were mixed, and 22% offered critiques.
- Only 7% of articles featured perspectives from individuals with lived experience.
- Critiques garnered nearly double the Facebook shares compared to supportive/mixed articles.
Conclusions:
- Media reporting on involuntary commitment for substance use largely excludes scientific and ethical concerns, and lived experiences.
- There is a critical need for media content to better reflect evidence-based information for informed policy.
- Aligning news coverage with scientific understanding is essential for effective public health strategies.
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