Ep 13: What stories does Big Tobacco tell about itself?

About this episode

Welcome to season two of Deadly Industry: Challenging Big Tobacco, the podcast where we explore the tactics used by the tobacco industry as it pursues profit over health. It's episode five and Louis welcomes Dr. Iona Fitzpatrick to the studio to discuss the transformative power of language. They explore how the tobacco industry tells stories to manage its public image, why its claims to be a good partner in public health are not all they seem and the difference between how the industry talks to the public versus how it communicates to its investors. Dr Iona Fitzpatrick is a public health researcher at the University of Bath with an interest in linguistics and place. Her current research includes analysis of industry language and associated impacts on health policy implementation. Sources used in this episode include: • doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0000379 • doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.958354 • How big tobacco firms are using e-cigarettes to try to improve their image - The Conversation • doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntad181 • doi.org/10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2021-056687 • Astroturfing - Tobacco Tactics • doi.org/10.1136/tc-2023-058511 Deadly Industry: Challenging Big Tobacco is a