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Canadian newspaper coverage on harm reduction featuring bereaved mothers: A mixed methods analysis
Heather Morris1, T Cameron Wild2, Marina Giovannoni3
1Faculty of Nursing, Edmonton Clinic Health Academy (ECHA), University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
Plos One
|November 27, 2023
Summary
News media rarely feature bereaved mothers advocating for harm reduction in Canada. When they do, stories often minimize their advocacy by focusing on grief and individual experiences, rather than structural issues impacting people who use drugs.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Media Studies
- Sociology
Background:
- News media portrayals of bereaved mothers can influence public support for harm reduction.
- The extent and nature of such coverage in Canada remain under-documented.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the volume, content, and underlying discourses of Canadian news media coverage on harm reduction featuring bereaved mothers.
- To understand how these media portrayals impact the advocacy of mothers for harm reduction initiatives.
Main Methods:
- Mixed-method secondary analysis of 5681 Canadian newspaper articles on harm reduction from 2000-2016.
- Quantitative content analysis of 63 articles featuring bereaved mothers.
- Qualitative thematic analysis of 52 of these articles to explore underlying discourses.
Main Results:
- Articles featuring bereaved mothers were rare (1.1% of harm reduction coverage).
- Coverage prioritized naloxone distribution (42.9%) and supervised consumption sites (28.6%).
- Mothers' advocacy was often diminished by focusing on grief, individual stories, and creating divisions among people who use drugs (PWUD).
Conclusions:
- Canadian news media infrequently highlight bereaved mothers' advocacy for harm reduction.
- Reporting practices may inadvertently undermine support for harm reduction by focusing on personal tragedy over systemic factors.
- More inclusive reporting that emphasizes structural determinants could enhance public and governmental support for harm reduction services.
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