List of coded variables
| Variable | Operational definition |
| Date of publication | Day, month, and year of the publication of article |
| State | State in which the publication was primarily distributed |
| Name of publication | Name of the publication from which the article was obtained |
| Circulation | Number of copies of the publication distributed daily |
| Type of article | News story (factual account of event or issue), editorial (non-factual account/opinion of event or issue written by newspaper staff), or letter to the editor (usually written to the newspaper by a member of the community) |
| Policy type | Clean indoor air, restricting access to minors, economic disincentives (that is, excise taxes), advertising and promotions, and a miscellaneous category (lawsuits, national settlement talks, possible regulation of nicotine by the FDA) |
| Front page | Prominence variable to identify the visibility of an article |
| Point of view (slant) | Protobacco control (supportive of tobacco control ) and anti-tobacco control (supportive of tobacco industry) |
| Origin of story | National or local in focus. Distinguishes source of story as a national wire service (Associated Press, UPI, Reuters) or bylined by local journalist |