It is widely recognised that weight stigma in news media is a problem, with selection of images, language, and news frames shown to contribute to negative and stereotypical representations. In response, several Australian, UK, and international organisations active in improving perceptions and treatment of people with obesity have published media guidelines. Some of these guidelines have been developed drawing on linguistic research or expertise and thus represent clear attempts at societal impact (changes in journalism practices, with presumed flow-on effects on policymaking, public perception, discourse, etc.). This chapter first reviews the recommendations that obesity media guidelines make, focusing specifically on language use. We show similarities and differences across six guidelines published for Australian, UK, and international contexts. Taking a corpus linguistic approach, we then examine to what extent selected advice on language choices from the guidelines is adhered to in journalism in Australia. We analyse dispreferred language (identity-first language and use of nominal-adjectival, the obese), preferred language (person-first language), and pejorative versus euphemistic labels. Focusing on people-first and identity-first language, we also include a comparison with a similar British corpus. The chapter concludes with critical reflections on application and impact, including the potential role of corpus linguistics in this area.

What people know and how they think about drug use, consumption practices, and addiction is considerably influenced by the way the topic is talked about and framed in the media. Problems associated with the stigma of substance use disorders (SUDs) point to the need to identify factors that contribute to stigmatization and the urgency to outline courses of action to combat the stigma of addiction and other SUDs. The chapter first lays out the role the media take regarding the stigmatization of people with SUDs and refers to theoretical approaches in communication science. Findings on the coverage of people with SUDs in the media and mechanisms that lead to stigmatizing portrayals are delineated. In a second step, media guidelines as a possible means to strengthen the destigmatizing role of the media are described and discussed. Against this background, the media’s role in reporting for substance use stigma is discussed.