‘I suppose language is important’: investigating news media and third sector views on food poverty

News media coverage can shape public and political perceptions of food poverty, yet little is known about how media professionals and third sector organizations understand and communicate this issue. This study aimed to explore how food poverty is understood and communicated by news media professionals and third sector representatives on the island of Ireland. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with news media professionals (n = 16) and third sector representatives (n = 14) from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. A combination of deductive coding to Entman's framing theory and inductive thematic analysis was used to identify perspectives on food poverty and its media representation. The findings revealed distinct perspectives between groups regarding causes and solutions. Third sector representatives emphasized structural drivers and advocated policy solutions, while media professionals’ views were more mixed, with some emphasizing individual responsibility. Media professionals reported preferring case studies featuring families and single mothers, while third sector representatives expressed concerns about their role as gatekeepers. The study identified a mutual reliance between news media and third sector organizations in the processes of securing case studies and sharing information. Both groups reported challenges with resource constraints, ethical considerations, and communicating complex issues. These findings reveal how institutional arrangements between media and third sector organizations may reinforce individualistic narratives of food poverty rather than structural causes. The results suggest a need for strategic approaches including evidence-based reporting guidelines and improved access to independent data sources and expertise to support more effective communication of structural drivers and the need for policy solutions.