by Gigi Kellett | CounterPunch
Friday, January 19, 2024
This article from CounterPunch explains how today’s food industry has employed one of Big Tobacco’s strategies – called preemption – to stall legislative progress. By promoting weaker state public health laws to override stronger local laws, the food industry has been able to continue its racist marketing campaigns, targeting Black youth and other youth of color. The article also uplifts an analysis by Corporate Accountability, in collaboration with BMSG and other organizations, that found a disturbing correspondence between NRA campaign contributions and the propensity of those receiving them to oppose progressive policies, showcasing the deeply harmful effects of industry lobbying on public health.
by Mark Barna | Public Health Newswire
Tuesday, November 14, 2023
U.S. leaders continue to see value in declaring racism a public health crisis in their communities. Yet BMSG research, shared at the 2023 APHA annual gathering in Atlanta, found that media coverage of racism declarations largely ignored the work of community leaders who are often the impetus behind governments adopting the resolution. This framing has the potential of stunting community action: Local leaders following media coverage may not realize the extent that other community leaders play in doing the legwork to make declarations happen.
by Lori Dorfman | Berkeley Public Health
Thursday, October 05, 2023
Public health researchers and practitioners have long known that racism harms health. Now, a new website called Racism Harms Health shows how. The site, part of Berkeley Public Healths’ Anti-Racist Community for Justice and Social Transformative Change, compiles research data culled from more than 250 studies across the spectrum of American life — from workplaces and policing to education and housing.
by Susie Neilson | San Francisco Chronicle
Wednesday, September 20, 2023
“Instead, San Francisco’s changing reputation has a complex assortment of causes unrelated to the risk of violence, according to crime media researcher Pamela Mejia, director of research and associate program director at the Berkeley Media Studies Group. Some of the change reflects national shifts in crime and safety rhetoric; some is grounded in the reality of city life; and the rest stems from how social media, news outlets and other sources tell San Francisco’s story to the world.”
by Paresh Dave | Wired
Thursday, September 07, 2023
A review last year by NAAFA and the Berkeley Media Studies Group found that popular news outlets published over 18,000 articles on weight loss over 12 months, but just 48 articles about “anti-fatness.” People who are ultra-thin or squat also don’t have life easy. Advocacy by the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, a US nonprofit led by Tigress Osborn, to outlaw size discrimination is just gaining steam at statehouses and city councils, including a New York City ban that begins in November.
by Carl Smith | Governing
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
Researchers from Columbia University visited five states to see how they were using money from the American Rescue Plan to build their public health workforces. They found that progress toward a robust public health system depends on political strategies that build community support from the ground up. These findings, they note, echo BMSG’s own recommendations, which state that messaging should always be rooted in local context and strategy.
by Andrea Vittorio | Bloomberg Law
Wednesday, May 03, 2023
Online platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube would need to obtain teenagers’ permission before collecting their personal information, under a bipartisan bill that would modernize a decades-old law for the social media age. Berkeley Media Studies Group, along with many of our partners, including the Center for Digital Democracy, endorsed the legislation.
by Susie Neilson | San Francisco Chronicle
Saturday, April 08, 2023
The fatal stabbing of tech executive Bob Lee sent shockwaves through San Francisco, igniting fear that the city is becoming more dangerous. The data tell us, however, that San Francisco has one of the lowest homicide rates among all U.S. major cities. Pamela Mejia, BMSG’s head of research and interim director, has spent years studying violence and uses her expertise to explain why perceptions of crime often don’t match reality. She cites the element of randomness, the visceral nature of stabbings, and the high profile of Bob Lee as a few reasons why many locals falsely believe that crime is rising. On a broader scale, Mejia believes the stigmatization of highly visible unhoused populations contributes to unnecessary fear and hopelessness. To effectively communicate crime statistics, Mejia suggests addressing fears right off the bat so that people are in the right space to listen to the data.
by Edwin Flores | NBC News
Wednesday, March 15, 2023
Latinos are almost 20% of the population but appear in less than 6% of racial equity news, found a new study from BMSG and our partners at UnidosUs, with support from the Public Health Institute. What’s more, Latinos are more often portrayed as victims than as agents of change. “When the news focuses only on problems without also exploring solutions, people — including policymakers — have a harder time envisioning next steps,” said Pamela Mejia, the head of research at BMSG. “Readers need to see the work that organizers and advocates are doing to improve their communities. Those are the kinds of stories that encourage action and instill hope.” The report also got picked up by Fox and MSN and received coverage from MITÚ, Philanthropy News Digest, BeLatina, and SaludAmerica!.
by Joan Tabachnick | Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers
Wednesday, January 18, 2023
In this article from The Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers, BMSG’s own Head of Research, Pamela Mejia’s work is featured in a discussion about how the media portrays childhood sexual abuse and the abusers who perpetrate it. Article author Joan Tabachnick creates her own version of the Bechdel-Wallace Test specifically for media that broaches the topic of CSA prevention.
