Shifting Narratives in Media Coverage Across a Decade of Drug Discourse in the Philadelphia Inquirer: Qualitative Sentiment Analysis.
JMIR infodemiology May 13, 2025 Layla Bouzoubaa, Ramtin Ehsani, Preetha Chatterjee et al. 3 citations
Media portrayals of substance use can reinforce stereotypes and stigma, affecting individuals, policy, and public health. An analysis of 157,476 articles from The Philadelphia Inquirer (2013–2022) found that only 3,661 (2.32%) mentioned a substance with misuse potential. Cannabis (43.02%) and narcotics (37.17%) dominated coverage, with 2018 as the peak year. Heroin was often discussed alongside treatment medications like methadone and naloxone. Cannabis coverage focused on legislation and medical aspects; narcotics coverage centered on overdose deaths and safe injection sites. Sentiment analysis showed 74.3% of extracted aspects were negative across all drug classes. Hallucinogens shifted from negative in 2013 (-0.