This article focuses on a particular proposed bill to ban the sale of soft drinks and whole milk in Colorado schools and only allow water, low-fat milk and juice. It frames the argument in terms of promoting children's health in school.
The title, "Legislature considers bill to ban soda pop in schools," highlights soda pop, although other beverages (such as whole milk) would be affected by the bill as well. Is soda pop more interesting or controversial than whole milk? Or is it the more obviously unhealthy beverage? Or more popular among students? It is unclear.
The first line explains that the law aims "to reduce childhood obesity by restricting school beverages to water, fruit juice, and low-fat milk," which sounds fairly positive. It makes it clear that the aim to to make kids healthier, which is good. It also focuses on what students will have rather than what they will be denied. It mentions the wide ranging supporters of the bill, including health experts and soft drink manufacturers. As a whole it is a very positive spin on the issue.
Whose voices are heard?
The article quotes a health expert, Dr. Mark Johnson, and two democratic Senators, one who opposes and one who supports the bill.
Dr. Johnson asserts that children are becoming increasingly obese and that soft drinks, which contain hundreds of empty calories per serving, compound this problem. Obesity has also been linked to life-threatening diseases such as diabetes. Senator Dan Gibbs, a supporter of the bill, explains that it is not meant to be an attack on soft drink manufacturers, but meant to support children's health.
Senator Ron Tupa opposes the bill because he fears that banning soda could spawn a black market where students sell illicit soft drinks to their peers for profit. It would have been interesting if they had interviewed a Republican congressperson, who may have had different reasons to oppose the bill.
The article, although it mentions that parents testified, they were not interviewed. They also did not talk to students, teachers or administrators who would be directly affected by the soft drink ban. Are teachers going to miss buying soda at school, or do they not consider it a problem? Are teachers and administrators worried about losing revenue from soda vending machines? We just don't know.
By only speaking to a physician, a senator who was concerned about children's health and a senator with a rather trivial reason for opposing the bill, it portrays the bill as completely an issue of children's health and combating childhood obesity. And we all want to stop childhood obesity, right?
Mmm... donuts...
What's left out of this discussion?
In addition to the obvious lack of input from students, teachers, administrators and republicans, the article did not cover how the bill would affect schools and students if it were passed. Would schools lose revenue from soda sales, or would low-sugar substitues be just as popular?
It also did not explain the bill clearly or explain where to find more information. Would the bill ban diet soda? Would high sugar and high calorie fruit drinks be affected as well? Would serving sizes of high calorie healthy drinks such as juice and milk be limited? One cannot forget that drinking a large glass of skim milk still has tons of calories, although it has a lot of vitamins and minerals as well.
Ideologies
The issue of ideology is not as obvious here as it is the Fox News story. This piece is not framed in terms of a small group of people who think they know what's best and want to impose their views on all Americans-- the idea that laws can be passed to limit children's access to unhealthy things is not questioned or even mentioned. The writers seem to subscribe to the liberal viewpoint that the government has the right to pass laws that control some aspect of people's lives if it is what is best for them.
The authors of the article also seem to subscribe to the ideology that schools provide more than just math, science and reading: what kids drink at school is part of their school experience as well. It is not unreasonable that schools might control what beverages students have access to in order to provide a positive environment. This also ties in with the idea that schools can solve societal ills such as childhood obesity.
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