Clearing The Air

Media control regarding smoking bans.......confirmed by the RWJF (Nicoderm) grant recipients

http://www.rwjf.org/portfolios/grant.jsp?id=41037&iaid=143&gsa=1

My belief was that the above $2.3 million grant was issued by RWJF (of Nicoderm financial interest) to control the media's coverage in order to show the pro side only, of the smoking ban issue. Guess what, here is the good doctor's response......judge for yourself.

Here was the original question I posed to Frank J. Chaloupka Ph.D. (Project Director) of University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, the grant recipient.

In doing some research I came across this grant by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to you:

"Tracking the media and political impact of state-level tobacco control....."
http://www.rwjf.org/portfolios/grant.jsp?id=41037&iaid=143&gsa=1

Could you explain its final goal with respect to media coverage regarding smoking bans?

Thank you,

Mark Wernimont

Here is Frank J. Chaloupka Ph.D. (Project Director)'s response:

Hi Mark

-Thanks for your interest; the main purpose of the grant is to evaluate the impact of the RWJF-funded SmokeLess States program; this program funded state level tobacco control coalitions that aimed to strengthen state and local tobacco control policies through a combination of policy and media advocacy efforts.

Given the goals of the program, we're focusing the evaluation on three key outcomes - media coverage of tobacco issues (as reflected by coverage of tobacco in daily circulating newspapers), tobacco control policies (introduction and adoption of new tobacco control policies, with an emphasis on the three policy areas SmokeLess States focused on - cigarette and other tobacco taxes, restrictions on smoking in public places and workplaces, and medicaid coverage for smoking cessation), and the strength of the state tobacco control infrastructure (as assessed in surveys of people working on tobacco control in state health departments, state tobacco control programs, major tobacco control coalitions, and elsewhere).

The main hypotheses are that the SmokeLess States program led to more coverage of tobacco issues in the media and that the coverage was more favorable to tobacco control efforts , that more tobacco control legislation was introduced and stronger policies adopted, and that the state tobacco control infrastructure was strengthened. In addition, we're exploring the relationship between some of these outcomes -e.g. whether or not the extent and tone of news coverage on smoking bans relates to the introduction and adoption of legislation to ban smoking.

Hope this helps; let me know if you have any follow up questions.

Best,
Frank

I guess that confirms it.....the media can be bought, if the price is right.

*Remember given that RWJF was formed by Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical and that J & J is the largest manufacturer of smoking cessation products....using any information by them, or the anti-smoking activists they fund, to affect policy changes, specifically smoking bans; is like putting the coyotes in charge of guarding the hen house.

The desire for profits means they would fabricate and exaggerate health risks to get the outcome they demand.

posted by marcus aurelius @ 1:22 PM