A Comparative Study of Psychological and Linguistic Frame Shift : Tobacco Price Policy Coverage Before and After Its Implementation between Korean and Japanese Major Online Newspapers

A Comparative Study of Psychological and Linguistic Frame Shift : Tobacco Price Policy Coverage Before and After Its Implementation between Korean and Japanese Major Online Newspapers

An analysis of psychological linguistic elements of news coverage of public health policy before and after its implementation could explain specific patterns of shifts in the coverage. This study investigated news coverage of a tobacco control policy. The focus was on news texts about tobacco tax and price increases in major online newspapers in South Korea (chosun.com, dongA.com, and Maeil Business) and in Japan (Nikkei Online, Asahi Shimbun, and Yomiuri). The two countries shared similarity regarding tobacco issue, which included a similar increase of tobacco price rates and a high level of smoking rates among males over 15-year-old. In this light, a comparative of the tobacco-related stories of the two countries’ major online newspapers could reveal informative information that contributes to our understanding of tobacco policy. As a main preemptive procedure, we translated Japanese news stories into Korean before the analysis. The core results are as follows. Korean online newspapers used fewer words regarding cognitive processes after implementing the policy than before it. Maeil Business used fewer negative emotion-related words after the policy, showing that this financial newspaper took a negative position toward the tobacco price increase before its implementation. Among the Japanese online newspapers, Asahi Shimbun used more words related to negative emotion, cognitive processes, and death before the policy than after the policy. These patterns of results indicate that policy implementation can elicit major changes in cognitive interpretations and emotional responses on a price hike. We discussed some limitations in this language analysis and future study directions.

An analysis of psychological linguistic elements of news coverage of public health policy before and after its implementation could explain specific patterns of shifts in the coverage. This study investigated news coverage of a tobacco control policy. The focus was on news texts about tobacco tax and price increases in major online newspapers in South Korea (chosun.com, dongA.com, and Maeil Business) and in Japan (Nikkei Online, Asahi Shimbun, and Yomiuri). The two countries shared similarity regarding tobacco issue, which included a similar increase of tobacco price rates and a high level of smoking rates among males over 15-year-old. In this light, a comparative of the tobacco-related stories of the two countries’ major online newspapers could reveal informative information that contributes to our understanding of tobacco policy. As a main preemptive procedure, we translated Japanese news stories into Korean before the analysis. The core results are as follows. Korean online newspapers used fewer words regarding cognitive processes after implementing the policy than before it. Maeil Business used fewer negative emotion-related words after the policy, showing that this financial newspaper took a negative position toward the tobacco price increase before its implementation. Among the Japanese online newspapers, Asahi Shimbun used more words related to negative emotion, cognitive processes, and death before the policy than after the policy. These patterns of results indicate that policy implementation can elicit major changes in cognitive interpretations and emotional responses on a price hike. We discussed some limitations in this language analysis and future study directions.