June 12, 2025

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the largest anti-hunger program in the United States. Indeed, the program contributed to the grocery budgets of an average of 41 million low income  people in the United States each month in 2024, and almost half of all children in the United States utilize SNAP at some point by the time they turn 20. SNAP fills an especially important nutritional gap for vulnerable populations, including those employed in low-wage jobs, disabled people on a fixed income and low-income seniors. Although it is primarily a federally funded program, eligibility and benefit amounts vary by state and can change based on decisions by elected officials, often influenced by news coverage and public opinion.

Considering the importance of media coverage to SNAP’s success, is this coverage fair and comprehensive? Researchers at Drexel University’s Dornsife School of Public Health set out to answer this question, recently publishing an article in the journal Health Affairs Scholar that analyzed 84 news stories from 1997 through 2022 about a key measure of SNAP eligibility: the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA).

PRWORA policies ban those with felony drug-related convictions from receiving SNAP benefits. These policies change periodically from state to state – currently, 28 states and Washington D.C. opt out of this ban, 21 others have a partial ban, and South Carolina maintains the full PRWORA ban – making news coverage a potentially influential factor in the nutrition program’s impact.

Authors Bengucan Gunen, MSPH, a doctoral student, and Ann C. Klassen, PhD, a research professor, both in the Community Health and Prevention Department at the Dornsife School of Public Health, shared their insights with the Drexel New Blog about the strengths of these news stories and opportunities where public health experts can better inform reporters about SNAP for the public’s benefit.

Read the full article on the Drexel News Blog: What News Media Gets Right and Wrong About Snap Eligibility