Amid Federal Cuts to Alcohol Prevention Programs, USAPA Releases Media Guidelines on Reporting the Truth About Alcohol
AMID FEDERAL CUTS TO ALCOHOL PREVENTION PROGRAMS,
USAPA RELEASES MEDIA GUIDELINES ON REPORTING THE TRUTH ABOUT ALCOHOL
With millions of dollars now zeroed out, it’s time to lead with facts — not fizz
April 30, 2025 | PORTLAND, Ore. — On the last day of National Alcohol Awareness Month, the U.S. Alcohol Policy Alliance released suggested guidelines to the media, urging them to improve reporting about the harms related to alcohol consumption. In light of recent federal budget cuts that have dismantled vital alcohol prevention programs, USAPA is renewing the call to action it issued to the news media at the start of the month: Stop glamorizing alcohol consumption and start reporting the sober truth.
The Trump administration’s proposed budget includes a significant reduction in funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and complete elimination of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion — which has played a central role in addressing alcohol-related harm nationwide. Additionally, a leaked budget document indicates the Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act (STOP Act) — the only federal program specifically targeting teenage drinking — might also be eliminated.
“These cuts come as mounting data show alcohol’s increasingly deadly toll; yet the media continues to promote alcohol in a positive light,” said Mike Marshall, CEO of the U.S. Alcohol Policy Alliance. “Every time a morning show anchor celebrates with champagne or a newspaper features the 5 best amber ales, it sends the message that alcohol is harmless — when, in fact, it’s killing 178,000 Americans every year.”
In the past month alone, USAPA observed multiple segments across major news outlets that promoted alcohol for stress relief, joked about binge drinking, or ignored the dangers of daily consumption, including:
- TODAY with Jenna & Friends guest co-host Olivia Munn fondly recalled getting drunk during her 2011 appearance on the show with Katie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb and her subsequent desire to start a line of wine juice boxes for moms who want to day drink on the go. Munn was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023 and, while she and Jenna Bush Hager talked about Munn’s advocacy in the breast cancer awareness space, they completely missed the opportunity to highlight the link between alcohol and breast cancer and other harms of alcohol.
- In an article in The New York Times, wine critic Eric Asimov wrote “It’s not clear who gains” in reference to the impact of tariffs on the wine industry and noted that higher product prices will exacerbate already slumping sales following news about alcohol’s health risks. For additional information on those risks, the article linked not to the recent U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory but instead to the author’s own column expressing skepticism about the latest scientific reports on the harms of alcohol.
Meanwhile:
- Alcohol-related deaths have risen 29% over four years.
- Alcohol is a known cause of at least seven types of cancer.
- Alcohol kills more people annually than all drug overdoses combined.
“Alcohol is a toxic, addictive carcinogen that kills 178,000 Americans each year. The normalization of alcohol consumption in media coverage is out of step with what we know scientifically — and what we owe the public,” added Marshall.
USAPA urges journalists to:
- Refrain from glamorizing, normalizing, or promoting alcohol consumption in coverage.
- Provide balanced, fact-based reporting that includes the health risks of alcohol use.
- Include resources for audience members seeking to reduce or quit drinking.
To support this ask, USAPA has released a one-page guide, Responsible Reporting on Alcohol: A Quick Reference for Newsrooms, to encourage accurate, stigma-free coverage.
As federal agencies scale back efforts to reduce alcohol-related harms, it becomes incumbent on the news media to shift the conversation — from extolling the virtues of a toxic, addictive, deadly carcinogen to focusing on the proven dangers of alcohol consumption and the critical need for prevention.
“The media changed the public narrative around smoking,” Marshall added. “It can do the same for alcohol — if it chooses to.”
About the U.S. Alcohol Policy Alliance
Founded in 2014, the U.S. Alcohol Policy Alliance is the national voice on alcohol policy — working to change the narrative about alcohol, define an actionable agenda for policy-making on all levels, and build a movement driven by the truth that alcohol harms. Envisioning a nation free from alcohol-related disease, death and injury, the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization is leading the fight to change America’s relationship with alcohol by translating alcohol policy research into public health practice. To learn more, including ways to support the organization, visit www.AlcoholPolicy.org and follow USAPA on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and Instagram.
