Working with the media to promote smokefree legislation Dr' Martina PtschkeLanger Deutsches Krebsfor

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Working with the media to
promote smokefree
legislationDr. Martina Pötschke-LangerDeutsche
s Krebsforschungszentrum Heidelberg(German
Cancer Research Center)WHO Collaborating Centre
for Tobacco Controlm.poetschke-langer_at_dkfz.deww
w.tabakkontrolle.de
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Germany
Heidelberg
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German Cancer Research Center
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Seven (from twelve) of the team of the WHO
Collaborating Centre for Tobacco Control
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Overview

• Background data
• The Iron Age before the media advocacy campaign
  started
• Elements of media work for smoke free legislation
• Results
• Conclusion

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Smoking prevalence in Germany

• High prevalence of adult smoking- 37 of men-
  28 of woman(age older than 18 years in 2004)
• female smoking increased!

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Tobacco exposure in Germany
170 000 newborn babys
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Secondhand smoke in Germany
8,4 millions of children and adolescents every
second household
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Secondhand smoke in Germany
28,5 millions of
non-smoking adults in their
leisure time
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Secondhand smoke in Germany
8,5 millions of employees on their workplaces,
among over 1 million in the hospitality industry
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A view back The Iron Age in Germany
1971-2001
1971 First parliamentarian debate about health
hazards of secondhand smoke with the consensus
position SHS is dangerous, our population must
be protected BUT Nothing happened because of a
successful counter strategy of the tobacco
industry and unprepared nongovernmental
organizations
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A view back The Iron Age in Germany
1971-2001
Between 1992-2001 Two parliamentarian attempts
for smokefree legislation failed due to massive
influence of the Association of the Cigarette
Industy (Verband der Cigarettenindustrie) on
politics and weak nongovernmental organizations
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A view back to the work of non-governmental
organizations 1971-2001

• NGOs Weak and unprofessional
• No understanding of the political power structure
• No legal expertise
• No knowledge of tobacco industrys strategies

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A view back to the work of non-governmental
organizations 1971-2001

• NGOs Weak and unprofessional
• No understanding of messages decision makers need
  to hear
• No knowledge how media work
• No NGO policy advocacy strategy
• No money for tobacco control

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The year of 2002
Nevertheless
New regulations 2002 In all workplaces
nonsmokers protection is guaranteed BUT excluding
many workplaces such as in public venues and in
the hospitality sector
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The changing process 2002-2005

• Lessons learnt by
• International experience
  World
  Health Organizations Tobacco Free Initiative
  (TFI) Advocacy Institute
  (Washington)
  American Cancer Society
  
  International Union against Cancer (UICC)
  
• Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)
  Participation on the negotiating process and
  beyond
• Individual support by leading international
  tobacco control advocates

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The changing process 2002-2005

• Lessons learnt by
• Networks
  GLOBALink
• European Network for Smoking Prevention
  (ENSP)
  International Women
  Against Tobacco (INWAT) Framework
  Convention Alliance (FCA)
• Tobacco industry documents
  Reading German
  papers

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Key principals of successful
media work
Successful media work

• Thinking like a journalist What is a key
  message? What is news worthy?
• Respecting time problems of journalists
  providing around the clock attendance service
  (via internet and mobilphone)
• Providing interview partners (national and
  international experts)
• Providing local stories
• Respecting deadlines of media

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Key principals of successful
media work
Successful media work

• Consistant and proactive media work to be the
  first
• Wonder weapons Comprehensive factsheets and
  materials
• Scientific credibility providing the scientific
  truth, nothing more!
• Prepared for counter arguments of the tobacco
  industry with evidence based responses
• Combining data with political messages

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The changing process 2002-2005

• Report 2002 Recommendations for concrete
  political national agenda for tobacco control

by the German Cancer Center Research together
with nongovernmental organizations
Result First effect on media
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The changing process 2002-2005

• Report 2003 on health
  hazards of secondhand smoke focussed on children

Result Good effect on media
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Successful media work Transparency of the
tobacco industy

• Report 2005
  Tobacco industry documents the dubious nature of
  additives in cigarettes and misleading
  information by the cigarette industry

Key message
product and
industry are dangerous for public health
Result Hugh effect on media
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Successful media work Transparency of the
tobacco industy
Making tobacco industry transparent

• Providing facts from tobacco industry documents
  to journalists RESULT
  Big attacks
  against industry by influencial political
  magazines

Reference Der Spiegel 23, 2005
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Successful media work Transparency of the
tobacco industy
Making tobacco industry transparent

• Providing facts from tobacco industry documents
  to journalists RESULT
  Big attacks
  against industry by influencial political
  magazines

Reference Berliner Zeitung, 24.03.2006
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Successful media work Transparency of the
tobacco industy
Making tobacco industry transparent

• Providing facts from tobacco industry documents
  to journalists RESULT
  Big attacks
  against industry by influencial political
  magazines

Reference Deutsches Ärzteblatt 47, 2004
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Successful media work Combining data with
political messages
Report 2005 on secondhand smoke the
underestimated health risk Key messages

• SHS is a category 1 carcinogen
• SHS causes heart and lung diseases and lung
  cancer
• More than 3.300 people are dying yearly because
  of SHS in Germany
• Smokefree legislation is the solution

Result The greatest media success
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Successful media work Combining data with
political messages
Peoples health is in danger by SHS

• 1 million staff members in hospitality venues
• More than 7000 pregnant working women in
  hospitality venues
• 8,5 million staffs in all workplaces
• 25,5 million people in leasure facilities
• Smokefree legislation is the solution

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Successful media work Combining data with
political messages
Factsheet on hospitality venues

• Key messages
• All hospitality venues are risky for staff and
  guests showing PM2.5 measurements data
• Smokefree legislation is the solution

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Confrontation politics and media with the reality

• Particulate matters 2.5 measurements in a
  smokefree restaurant

Reference German Cancer Research Center, 2006
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Confrontation politics and media with the reality

• Particulate matters 2.5 measurements in a
  restaurant with license to smoke

Reference German Cancer Research Center, 2006
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Confrontation politics and media with the reality

• Particulate matters 2.5 measurements in a bar

Reference German Cancer Research Center, 2006
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Confrontation politics and media with the reality

• Particulate matters 2.5 measurements in a
  discotheque

Reference German Cancer Research Center, 2006
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Powerful bites for the media

• SHS is killing more people than illegale drugs,
  asbestos, BSE and SARS together
• A barworker must have a gas mask entering his
  workplace
• Having smoking and nonsmoking sections in the
  same air space is like having urinating and
  nonurinating sections in a swimming pool
• Currently we have smoking and passive smoking
  areas, we have no smokefree areas against the
  hospitality associations counter strategy that
  tried to maintain volunteer solutions

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Powerful images comparing Germany with other
EU-member states

• Smokefree long distance trains in Europe

Reference German Cancer Research Center, 2006
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Powerful images comparing Germany with other
EU-member states

• Smokefree hospitality venues

Reference German Cancer Research Center, 2006
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Powerful facts and figures for media and politics

• It can be done
  Ireland and Italy as examples

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Tailored messages for media

• Where is Germany in tobacco control?

Reference Joossens L, Raw, M. Tobacco Control
Scale. A new scale to measure country activity,
Tobacco Control, 2006 15, issue 3. Editing
German Cancer research Center, 2006
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Tailored messages for media

• at the end

Reference Joossens L, Raw, M. Tobacco Control
Scale. A new scale to measure country activity,
Tobacco Control, 2006 15, issue 3. Editing
German Cancer research Center, 2006
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Media reaction

• Der Spiegel Qualm in der
  Bananenrepublik
• Smoke in the banana republic of Germany

Reference Der Spiegel 51, 2006
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Successful media work Combining data with
political messages
Presenting the only solution

• Because only a federal legislation protects the
  population before SHS, a complete law was
  presented written by a well known constitutional
  law expert

Key message
It can be done!
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Successful media work
United NGOs
Memorandum of the German Cancer Research Center
and the important NGOs

• The medical and public health world is voting for
  smokefree legislation

Key message
Cabinet and parliament are
responsible and must act!
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Successful media work
Entering in the political arena

• The start
• Convincing one only parliamentarian Lothar
  Binding (his election area is Heidelberg, the
  city of the German Cancer Research Center)
  dedicated to smokefree legislation and starting a
  parliamentarian initiative

His key message
Smokefree
legislation must be done! Result Huge media
coverage
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Successful media work
Entering in the political arena

• Convincing Minister of Consumer Protection (Horst
  Seehofer) and Minister of Health
  (Ulla Schmidt) for smokefree legislation

Result The hot summer 2006 debate
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Successful media work
Entering in the political arena

• Finally Chancellor Merkel is
  demanding more protection before SHS!

Reference Süddeutsche Zeitung, 24./25.03.2007
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Powerful facts against tobacco industys counter
strategy

• Destroying the myths of economic and job loss
  arguments

Key message
Stabil economic and
stabil workplaces are the consequences of
smokefree legislation
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Powerful facts against the
tobacco industry

• Destroying the position of low risk

Key message
Also less
secondhand smoke is dangerous with a remaining
cancer risk there are no scientific reasons for
SHS upper limits in indoor air pollution
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Powerful facts against tobacco industrys counter
strategy

• Destroying the ventilation myths

Key message
Ventilation is not
safe and not the solution
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Powerful facts against tobacco industrys counter
strategy

• Destroying the opinion that public bans would
  increase private smoking

Key message
No evidence by
Finnish data
SHS at home
SHS on workplace
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Powerful constitutional arguments against tobacco
industrys counter strategy

• Destroying freedom of smoking position

Key message
Human rights for
healthy environment are excluding freedom of
smoking
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Powerful facts and figures for media and politics

• Polls as key messages
  smokefree legislation is popular among the people

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Powerful facts and figures for media and politics

• Polls as key messages smokefree legislation is
  popular among the voters of all political parties

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Results of media work
the breakthrough Der Spiegel

• The most influencial political magazine Titel
  report The end of tolerance voting for
  smokefree legislation

Reference Der Spiegel 24, 2006
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Results of media work
the breakthrough Der Spiegel
Blaming smoking German ministers
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Results of media work
the breakthrough Der Spiegel

• And again Der Spiegel
  Fresh air in the pubs

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Results of media work
the breakthrough FAZ

• Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (leading
  newspaper) One Page Article The way to a
  smokefree Germany voting for smokefree
  legislation

Reference Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung,
18.07.2006
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Results of media work
the breakthrough Wirtschaftswoche

• Wirtschaftswoche (Economical weak) 8 Pages
  Article Death through sidestream smoke voting
  for smokefree legislation

Reference Wirtschaftswoche 33, 2006
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Political results

• 17 different smokefree laws are currently in
  parliamentarian process (one federal, 16 state
  laws) covering public places and hospitality
  venues
• Not all buildings will be smokefree because
  separated, closed smoking rooms are allowed
• Status September 2007 Implementation of the
  Federal law and the laws in Niedersachsen
  (Lower Saxony) and Baden-Württemberg
• All other states will follow until January 2008,
  Nordrhein Westfalen until July 2008

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Political results
2007 Tobacco Industry divided!

• The former powerful association of the tobacco
  industry Verband der Cigarettenindustrie closed
  the Berlin office
• BUT
  New
  offices will be built up especially of Philip
  Morris, BAT, Reemtsma (Imperial Tobacco)

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Conclusion
Successful strategies für media work

• Thinking like a journalist
• Making the tobacco industry transparent
• Transfering science to the media
• Combining scientific data with political messages
• Making data comprehensive

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Conclusion
Successful strategies für media work

• Using polls as powerful support
• Inventing bites for the media
  The art of creative toxicology
  and epidemiology!
• Using comparisons
  Where is the own country standing?

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Conclusion

• Finally thanks to effective media work the social
  climate has changed within a short period of
  time Smoking is no longer socially accepted
  also in Germany!

Titel story in August 2007 with powerful message
young woman in the cigarette
prison Stern,
16.08.2007
Reference Stern, 34, 2007