One From The AP says library editions of Time, Newsweek, People and Sports Illustrated have been running tobacco ads.
A survey by the New York State Department of Health Tobacco Prevention Program found 70 percent of libraries in 223 middle schools and high schools had copies of Time, Newsweek, People and Sports Illustrated with tobacco ads. School libraries said the magazines are among the most popular with students.
“This is a major success in our continuing efforts to reduce the marketing of tobacco products to children,” said New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, the lead state official in the agreement between the publishers and the National Association of Attorneys General.
“About 2,000 kids become new smokers every day, and about a third of them will eventually die prematurely from smoking-related disease,” said Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, co-chairman of the association’s Tobacco Committee. “Every step we take is important to reduce this terrible death toll.”
Magazines
It’s nice to see these magazines acting responsible for a change (as opposed to always looking to the bottom line–profit).
Okay, gotta question this one
Now then, I’m all for reducing the amount of cigarette and booze advertising in magazines likely to be read by children. But I gotta call BS on a couple points here.
First off, there’s this quote:
A survey by the New York State Department of Health Tobacco Prevention Program found 70 percent of libraries in 223 middle schools and high schools had copies of Time, Newsweek, People and Sports Illustrated with tobacco ads. School libraries said the magazines are among the most popular with students.
I remember my middle school days, damn near all 540 days of it and almost all 4,320 hours of it. I hated middle school. I had teachers who lost my assignments so I was forced to do them over. I had a PE teacher who acted like a drill sergeant and he also thought he could teach a music class. Too bad for me that by that time I’d played piano for several years and I knew more about music than he ever would. He usually took this out on me in PE class. And to top it all off, I had a middle school librarian who quite literally told me that I wasn’t smart enough to work in a library. (Hey, Ms. Nelson, I’m an Assistant Circulation Manager now. So up yours.)
And I remember what I read in middle school. It sure as hell wasn’t Time or Newsweek. I can see People and Sports Illustrated being popular with middle school kids, but Time and Newsweek? Sorry, just don’t see that one. I’ve got nieces in middle school now, they don’t read Time and Newsweek. No middle school aged kids I know read Time and Newsweek. So I really have to question the “popularity” of said magazines. Pray tell, is Newsweek more popular than Time? And what about The Nation?
Besides, I think we need to be honest with each other and introduce a little common sense here. Decreasing the amount of advertising in regards to smoking and drinking isn’t going to have much effect on whether or not kids do those things. The government banned tobacco ads from TV decades ago, but you notice that millions of underage kids are still smoking? Advertising really doesn’t make people do things as often as these “experts” think. I grew up in a house full of smokers. Both my parents smoke. I have friends who smoke. I’ve got best friends who smoke. I’ve dated women who smoked, even in high school. I’ve read magazine after magazine containing smoking ads.
By the way, I’ve never smoked. Never even tried it. I could never get past the “here stick this in your mouth and light it on fire” part. I’m sure there’s millions of people out there who, like me, don’t do something because an ad told them they should. If they do purchase an item they see in an advertisement, it’s because they thought about it, tried it out, asked around, and finally decided they wanted it because it was a superior product or somehow filled a need.
Re:Okay, gotta question this one
I agree with you. I also think it is interesting that somehow these ads in these magazines are marketing aimed at children but last I checked Time and such were not marketed towards children.
To me, this would be kindof like a publisher having to edit out that Sherlock Holmes smokes if a school library decides to purchase the book.
Re:Okay, gotta question this one
To me, this would be kindof like a publisher having to edit out that Sherlock Holmes smokes if a school library decides to purchase the book.
SHHHHH!!! Shut up! Shut… up! Don’t give ’em any ideas, for god’s sake! 🙂
no ads in school copies
While this is an excellent step in the right direction it does seem a bit symbolic as students (as well as all other adults) are so bombarded with advertisments everywhere else, schools included (textbooks, vending machines, etc)
Jonah Charney-Sirott
Re:Magazines
I have to agree with you birdie. I am anti-smoking being an RN and watching my parents smoke turned me off on smoking. I still tell mom smoking will kill her and she says she knows.
Unfortunately I doubt taking tobacco ads out of Newsweek will keep kids from smoking. A tax of about six bucks a pack that funds healtcare…now that will stop people from smoking and pay for the care of those who do. Canada had the right idea on that one.
Re:Magazines
Agreed, there’s alot we can learn from those northern neighbors.