Banning smoking in New Jersey casinos--a content analysis of the debate in print media.

New Jersey's (NJ's) 2006 statewide smoking ban controversially exempted Atlantic City casinos. This study presents a content analysis of 210 NJ newspaper articles printed between November 2005 and February 2007, and describes the different frames and supporting information used to argue for or against exempting casinos from the smoking ban. Those in favor of exempting casinos framed the issue in terms of economics and compromise, while those opposing it framed the issue in terms of equity and health. Implications for policy initiatives and media advocacy are discussed. This work was supported in part by funding from the NJ Department of Health & Senior Services.