About the Research

FINDINGS IN BRIEF

• Compared to newspaper coverage of non-passing states, news articles about ERPOs in passing states more often:
  •  used only official policy names for ERPOs (38% vs. 23%)
  • used less restrictive language such as "prevent" to describe the process of suspending firearm access (15% vs. 3%) 
  • mentioned gun violence prevention advocacy groups (41% vs. 28%), and 
  • referenced research on ERPOs (17% vs. 7%). 
• Articles about passing states also more often explicitly stated that a violent event was or could have been prevented by an ERPO (20% vs. 6%).

IMPLICATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS

Media messaging that frames gun violence as preventable, emphasizes identifiable markers of risk, and draws on data in conjunction with community wisdom may support ERPO policy passage. As more states consider ERPO legislation, especially given endorsement by the Biden-Harris administration, deeper knowledge about successful media framing of these life-saving policies can help shape public understandings and support.

METHODS

We conducted a content analysis of 244 newspaper articles about ERPOs, published in 2018, in three passing (FL, VT, RI) and three non-passing states (PA, OH, CO). Measures included language used, stakeholders mentioned, and scientific evidence cited. We use chi-square tests to compare the proportion of articles with each measure of interest in passing versus non-passing states.

Citation

Aubel AJ, Pallin R, Knoepke CE, Wintemute GJ, Kravitz-Wirtz N. A comparative content analysis of newspaper coverage about extreme risk protection order policies in passing and non-passing US states. BMC Public Health. 2022 May 16;22(1):981.

Learn More

Read the paper in BMC Public Health