“Are they trying to control us people?”: News media coverage of COVID-19 lockdown tobacco sales ban in South Africa - Datasets

The South African government imposed one of the strictest lockdowns in the world as part of measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country, including a ban on the sale of tobacco products. This study explored news media coverage of arguments and activities in relation to the South African lockdown tobacco sales ban. We collected media articles published between 26 March to 17 August 2020, which corresponded to the period of the sales ban. Data were sourced via google search and snowball identification of relevant articles. Thematic analysis of data was conducted with the aid of NVivo. We analysed a total of 305 articles relevant to the South African tobacco sales ban during the lockdown. Six major themes were identified in the data: challenges associated with implementing the ban, litigation, and threats of litigation to remove the ban, governance process and politicization of the ban, pro and anti-tobacco sales ban activities and arguments and reactions to the announcement lifting the ban. The initial reason for placing the ban was due to the non-classification of tobacco products as an essential item. Early findings of a link between tobacco smoking and COVID-19 disease severity led to an extension of the ban to protect South Africa’s fragile health system. Pro-sales ban arguments included the importance of protecting the health system from collapse due to rising COVID-19 hospitalization, benefit of cessation, and the need for non-smokers to be protected from exposure to secondhand smoke. Anti-sales ban arguments included the adverse effect of nicotine withdrawal symptoms on smokers, loss of jobs and the expansion of the illicit cigarette markets. Litigation against the ban’s legality was a strategy used by the tobacco industry to mobilize the public against the ban while promoting their business through the distribution of branded masks and door-to-door delivery which goes against current tobacco regulations. The media could serve as a veritable tool to promote public health if engaged in productive ways to communicate and promote public health regulations to the general population. Engagement with the media should be enhanced as part of health promotion strategies.

南非政府为遏制本国新冠疫情（COVID-19）的传播，施行了全球最严苛的封锁措施之一，其中涵盖烟草制品销售禁令。本研究聚焦南非封锁期间烟草销售禁令相关的舆论与行动，对媒体报道展开探析。研究收集了2020年3月26日至8月17日期间发布的媒体文章，该时段与烟草销售禁令的实施周期完全重合。数据通过谷歌搜索（Google Search）以及滚雪球法识别相关文章的方式采集。研究借助NVivo软件对数据进行主题分析，最终共纳入305篇与南非封锁期烟草销售禁令相关的媒体文章。从数据中提炼出六大核心主题：禁令落地过程中的各类挑战、旨在撤销禁令的诉讼及诉讼威胁、禁令的治理流程与政治化倾向、支持与反对烟草销售禁令的相关行动与言论，以及针对解禁公告的反馈。实施该禁令的初始缘由为烟草产品未被归类为必需物品。后续有早期研究证实吸烟与新冠重症存在关联，因此延长了禁令期限以保护南非本就脆弱的医疗体系。支持销售禁令的论据包括：防止医疗系统因新冠住院人数激增而崩溃、戒烟带来的健康益处，以及保护非吸烟者免受二手烟暴露的必要性。反对销售禁令的观点则涵盖：尼古丁戒断症状对吸烟者的不良影响、就业岗位流失，以及非法卷烟市场的扩张。烟草行业以针对该禁令合法性提起诉讼作为策略，同时通过分发品牌口罩、提供上门配送服务等方式动员公众反对禁令，并借此推广自身业务，该行为违反了现行烟草监管规定。若能以富有成效的方式与媒体开展合作，向公众传播并推广公共卫生法规，媒体便可成为推动公共卫生事业的可靠工具。应将加强与媒体的合作纳入健康促进策略体系。