Problematizing the Victimization of Heroin Users on College Campuses; A Study of College Newspaper Produced Representations | Caroline Gobena

American colleges are experiencing an unprecedented surge in heroin related overdoses and deaths on campuses. This paper
discusses representations of heroin and its college users in the wake of heroin related overdose and death on US college
campuses by analyzing twenty-one search results for college newspaper articles reporting on heroin use on their respective
campuses between 2010 and 2014. Content analysis of these reports shows that papers often victimize student users by
reporting good academic and social standing told through third person accounts. These accounts contradict with secondary
research, which finds heroin users to be less socially and professionally successful. This might be because these articles refer to a different demographic, college students, who do not match the media’s traditional financial and racial profile of heroin users. The results of the study suggest that heroin use may not necessarily conflict with academic success in all contexts. In constructing representations of victimhood, college articles run the risk of perpetuating drug use, as the college population is not assigned a responsibility to not use heroin. At a time when heroin has been reinvented as a pill and is reportedly used by some as a cheaper substitute for drugs like Oxycontin, it is increasingly important for college newspapers to produce accurate and productive representations of heroin and its users that foster a safe drug culture on college campuses.

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