| Abstract [eng] |
Alcohol consumption and addiction remain one of the most pressing issues in Lithuania. On January 1, 2018, amendments to the Alcohol Control Law came into effect. In the context of journalism, the key change in the Alcohol Control Law is a complete ban on alcohol advertising (Article 29 of the law), with the exception of limited information provided at points of sale and on the websites of alcohol businesses. The ban on alcohol advertising has undoubtedly had a significant impact on the media; however, there is almost no research to substantiate this. This master’s thesis sets out to investigate the impact that the alcohol advertising ban, introduced in 2018, has had on media content and the work of journalists in Lithuania. To determine the impact of the alcohol advertising ban on content, a quantitative media content analysis was conducted on “Delfi,” the most-read news portal in Lithuania, and “Savaitė,” the weekly with the largest circulation in Lithuania. To understand the impact of the alcohol advertising ban on the work practices and motivation of Lithuanian journalists and editors, 12 semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted. To summarize the results of the empirical study, it can be concluded that the total ban on alcohol advertising introduced in 2018 had a multifaceted impact on the content of the Lithuanian media, as well as on the professional practices of journalists and editors. The volume of journalistic content decreased significantly (by one-third) following the introduction of the ban. The insights from journalists and editors obtained during the qualitative study complemented the results of the quantitative analysis and helped to interpret them. The interviews revealed the impact on the work practices and motivation of journalists and editors regarding whether or not to write about alcohol. Among the reasons, informants cited unclear legal regulations and fear of potential sanctions; they noted that they practiced self-censorship and began working more cautiously, while some chose to distance themselves entirely from the topic of alcohol due to internal attitudes, changes in legislation, or editorial policy. The study’s results confirm that the impact of the alcohol advertising ban on the Lithuanian media manifests not only in the direct disappearance of advertising content but also in deeper changes related to the scope of journalistic discourse, thematic diversity, and professional practices, which broadens the previously dominant assessment of the ban, which has been primarily focused on public health indicators. |
