Targeting the trades, press associations, and J-schools: Tobacco industry mapping and shaping of metajournalistic discourses

Abstract

Drawing on archival sources, this study explores how tobacco companies and their representatives targeted journalism trade publications, professional and press associations, and journalism schools in a decades-long effort to map and shape metajournalistic discourses to their advantage. By contributing to media-to-media publications, funding and participating in conferences, and engaging in journalism “education” initiatives the industry sought to influence journalistic practices. These journalism-adjacent actors and sites are particularly vulnerable to infiltration from corporate actors and deserve more scrutiny.