George A. Hacker

One of the areas of concern regarding the effects of media on society centers around advertisements for alcoholic beverages and whether they encourage alcohol abuse among the nation’s youth. In the following viewpoint George A. Hacker argues that although alcohol marketers claim to adhere to voluntary industry standards against marketing to people under the legal drinking age, their advertising campaigns in fact reach millions of young people. The exposure of youth to media advertisements glamorizing alcohol consumption poses serious public health and safety concerns, he asserts. Hacker is the director for alcohol policies at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington, D.C., consumer advocacy organization that focuses on food and nutrition policies. He is also a coauthor of the books The Booze Merchants and Marketing Booze to...