Background: The news media have an important role in setting the agenda for what is discussed in the public domain, and many tobacco control advocacy groups utilize the media to communicate to a wide audience. As there has been little systematic surveillance and analysis of tobacco-related news coverage, the contribution of advocacy groups to media coverage about tobacco issues has been difficult to ascertain. This research aims to assess the level, prominence and nature of references to tobacco control advocacy groups in Australian newspapers.

Method: We examined all newspaper articles containing at least one paragraph focused on tobacco, from 12 major Australian newspapers in 2004 and 2005. Articles were coded for references to one of 17 major Australian tobacco control advocacy groups, as well as for article prominence, type, theme, whether the event represented progress or a setback for tobacco control objectives, and whether the author's opinion was supportive or opposed to tobacco control.

Results: Of the 1,966 tobacco-related articles in 2004/2005, 21% mentioned at least one tobacco control advocacy group. Advocacy groups were more likely to be mentioned in prominent news articles (32% of early general news), and articles about tobacco products (37%) and youth access (52%). Advocacy groups were also more likely to be mentioned in articles with mixed implications for tobacco control (31%).

Conclusions: Tobacco control advocacy groups have a reasonable presence in the Australian news media, especially in articles deemed newsworthy.

Implications: These findings indicate that advocacy groups play an important role in contributing to public debates on tobacco control issues.