3.4.2 Newspaper Data

Newspaper reporting on drug-related issues, in the form of feature articles, editorials, news briefs, and announcements, was nearly two times higher in the target sites than in the comparison sites during the pre-Campaign period (see Exhibit 3-7 and Exhibit 3-8). These differences are not surprising, considering that one criterion for selecting target sites was evidence of high levels of drug use among youth.

In both target and comparison sites, feature articles and news briefs were the most common form of reporting on drug issues. Substantially fewer editorials, either from the public or from newspaper editors, were detected in target and comparison sites.

Newspaper reporting in target and comparison sites was monitored during the intervention and followup period of Phase I. These data are currently being analyzed and will be available in the final report of Phase I.