Analysis of Media Portrayals of Breastfeeding on Law and Policy.

The government has implemented policy to increase breastfeeding rates and has utilized the media. Media can report on "negative" aspects (i.e., women arrested for public breastfeeding), or "positive" aspects of breastfeeding (i.e., health benefits). Media portrayals of breastfeeding as deviant or socially harmful can inadvertantly influence legal rulings (by influencing those serving on juries or acting as prosecutors) and public policy (by voting for public officials). A content analysis of newspaper articles was conducted to examine how media portrayals of breastfeeding have changed over the last 20 years. The degree of positivity of breastfeeding messages (as measured by the overall positivity score) was significant overall F (4, 250) = 4.538, p =.001, with year 2007 being significantly more positive than 1987 (p<.01) and 1992 (p<.01). The mean overall positivity score by sample year increased over sample years, so that each successive year portrayed breastfeeding more positively overall than the previous year. Portrayals of breastfeeding have varied over time with an overall increase in expression of attitudes toward breastfeeding, mentions of public breastfeeding, and meeting announcements. Other content areas peaked in various years due to high profile legal cases: e.g., sexual aspects of breastfeeding peaked in 1992, social harm and deviance peaked in 1992 and 2002, and bonding peaked in 1987 and 2002. Potential effects of media content on law and policy are discussed. Media messages can influence mothers (e.g., choices about infant nourishment), cultural norms (e.g., acceptability of public breastfeeding), and the legal system (e.g., breastfeeding policies, and potential jurors). ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]