Abstract
Using editorial materials from six Finnish newspapers in 1993-2000, the article traces the emergence and development of ‘new’ discourses and practices of alcohol control policy. The article has two main questions: First, how did these newspapers take part in and commit themselves to the revision of national alcohol policy and second, once the more liberal policy was in place, how did they begin to address problems related to alcohol use.
The data were mainly collected from electronic archives. The material comprised all alcohol-related editorials published during the period under review. During 1993-2000 the six newspapers published a total of 280 editorials on issues of alcohol control policy.
The editorials are analysed as arrested narratives: how do these narratives employ the discursive elements of moral juxtaposition, building a better world, and truth.
During 1993-1997 the argumentation in the editorials was dominated by calls for greater liberalisation, and a firm stance against the public health argumentation aimed at regulating overall consumption.
However, the liberalisation of alcohol control policy threw up completely new problems that had to do with public order and the youth issue. In 1998-2000 questions of order and security were already receiving greater visibility than the liberalisation discourse. The newspapers maintained there was no return to the old state-governed alcohol control policy. Instead, they insisted that the police needed to be given more resources and institutional powers, and alcohol policy was more and more defined in terms of controlling the behaviour of deviant groups, and youths in particular. Instead of throwing their weight behind municipal ordinances, the newspapers urged the authorities and decision-makers to get to grips with the problem (i.e. the youth) by introducing national legislation that would give the police the powers they needed.
The editorials also took it upon themselves to encourage parents to impose limits on youngsters by means of both discipline and loving care. The traditional welfare state machinery was called upon to lend its support. In this sense the newspapers opened up the domains of education, family dynamics and local community to ever greater state influence.