Table 2

Categories of newspaper items

CategoryCriteria
Tobacco adsBranded advertisements for cigarettes, cigars and pipe tobacco
Cessation adsBranded advertisements for cessation services or products
Other adsTobacco-related content in advertisements for other goods and services and political advocacy ads
AgricultureNews stories about tobacco growing or tobacco farmers
BusinessNews stories about business operations of tobacco companies, such as plant openings and closures, economic performance, and new product launches.
CartoonComic strip or other cartoons, including editorial cartoons
Consumption dataNews stories about quantities of tobacco consumed in Quebec or elsewhere, without reference to health
CrimeNews stories about criminal activity related to tobacco use, including theft and the sale of contraband cigarettes
EditorialAnalysis and opinion offered by editorial writers and columnist, other than medical or health columnists
FireNews stories about cigarette-caused fires
HealthNews stories, medical, health and advice columns which cite health in the context of tobacco use, including the effects of second-hand smoke or concerns about young people smoking
LetterLetters to the editor
LitigationNews stories about lawsuits against tobacco companies
PersonalityNews stories about the smoking behaviour of named individuals, including politicians, officials and celebrities
PipesNews stories about pipe smoking, pipe smoking contests, pipe collections, etc
Smoke-free placesNews stories about restrictions on smoking, whether or not health is cited as a rationale for these measures
TaxNews stories about tax levels on cigarettes, other than those for which health reasons are provided
OtherNews stories about about beauty contests, smokers’ rights, the use of tobacco in comparison with other substances such as marijuana, and other miscellaneous subjects
Illegible or missingFiles whose content could not be deciphered and stories identified on the tracking sheets but not found in the collection