Department of Psychology, Sociology and Politics, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK.
Drug Alcohol Rev. 2023 Jan;42(1):213-224. doi: 10.1111/dar.13532. Epub 2022 Sep 6.
Licensing is recognised as a World Health Organization (WHO) 'best buy' for reducing alcohol harms. In response to the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak, many countries-imposed restrictions on outlets selling alcohol to reduce virus transmission. In England, while shops selling alcohol were deemed 'essential', multiple restrictions were imposed on licenced outlets such as pubs and bars. Media reporting of licensing restrictions during the pandemic might have shaped public discourses of alcohol risks and responsibilities.
This study aimed to understand how alcohol licensing changes in England were framed in newsprint media. Two hundred and fifty-three relevant articles from UK newsprint publications were identified through the Nexis database, published within six time points between March and December 2020 reflecting key changes to licencing in England. Thematic analysis, drawing on framing theory, was conducted to identify 'problems' framed in the reporting of these changes.
Four dominant framings were identified: (i) licensed premises as 'risky' spaces; (ii) problematic drinking practices; (iii) problematic policy responses; and (iv) 'victimisation' of licensed premises. The presence of these framings shifted across the reporting period, but consistently, social disorder was constructed as a key risk relating to licensing changes over health harms from alcohol consumption.
The analysis shows newsprint media reproduced narratives of 'inevitable' drinking culture and social disorder, but also emphasised expectations for evidence-based policy-making, in the context of licensing during the pandemic. Discourses of dissatisfaction with licensing decisions suggests potential for public health advocacy to push for licensing change to reduce alcohol health harms, in England and internationally.
许可证制度被世界卫生组织（WHO）视为减少酒精危害的“最佳选择”。为应对 2020 年 COVID-19 疫情，许多国家限制了酒类销售渠道，以减少病毒传播。在英国，虽然销售酒类的商店被认为是“必需品”，但对酒吧和酒馆等持牌场所实施了多项限制。疫情期间，媒体对许可证限制的报道可能影响了公众对酒精风险和责任的看法。
本研究旨在了解英国新闻媒体对英格兰酒类许可证变更的报道框架。通过 Nexis 数据库，共确定了 253 篇与英国新闻出版物相关的文章，这些文章在 2020 年 3 月至 12 月期间的 6 个时间点发表，反映了英格兰许可证变更的关键内容。本研究采用主题分析方法，借鉴框架理论，确定了这些变化报道中的“问题”框架。
确定了四种主要的框架：（一）持牌场所是“危险”空间；（二）有问题的饮酒行为；（三）有问题的政策反应；（四）持牌场所“受害”。这些框架在报道期间出现了变化，但始终强调，与饮酒相关的许可证变更带来的社会混乱是健康危害的关键风险。
分析表明，新闻媒体再现了不可避免的饮酒文化和社会混乱的叙述，但也强调了在疫情期间制定基于证据的政策的期望。对许可证决策的不满表明，在英格兰和国际上，公众健康倡导有潜力推动许可证变更，以减少酒精对健康的危害。
