Drug themes in metropolitan newspapers: review and analysis

Content analysis of newspaper articles dealing with illicit drugs over a 6-month period in 1978 revealed several themes. Heroin gets "more press" than other drugs, while treatment and prevention appear to be neglected--perhaps because they are not newsworthy. The secondary analysis of the media seems to be an unobtrusive barometer to gauge the material being disseminated to the public, which helps shape their attitudes and values of drug abuse.