Newsmaking on Drugs: A Qualitative Study with Journalism Professionals (Report‪)‬

The issue of psychotropic drug use involves different social segments and is relevant to the public agenda, stirring debate and creating a need for information among the people. Therefore, the issue is featured with increasing frequency in mass communication media such as newspapers, magazines, radio, television and others (ANDI 2005; Noto et al. 2003). Whether in the form of news or advertisements, the means of communication contribute to forming public opinion (Wolf 2003). According to the agenda-setting theory, the print media selects the contents that should be considered important in the public agenda. Thus, if on the one hand the print media cannot tell people what to think, on the other hand it is effective in setting priorities for which issues should be considered (Traquina 2005; Atkin & DeJong 2000; Durrant et al. 2003; Wolf 2003; Riffe, Lacy & Fico 1998; Wakefield et al. 2003; Craig 1981). In keeping with that theory, to understand the newsmaking process is to understand the process of reality construction as well (Wolf 2003; Traquina 2005).