Top 10 public health and social justice media bites of 2025
by: Saneeha Mirza
posted on Thursday, December 18, 2025
2025 has been marked by political absurdity. When President Donald Trump took office for the second time, he filled key federal positions with high-profile political actors such as Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr — a shift that has amplified disinformation and political mudslinging at the expense of public knowledge and wellbeing. Yet, as the year comes to an end, we’re buoyed by how resistance has risen to the occasion, as advocates, organizers, and activists refuse to back down.
“Empire doesn’t attack what isn’t working,” said Shanelle Matthews, former communications director for the national Movement for Black Lives and founder of the Radical Communicators Network, known as RadComms. Equity-focused organizations and individuals have used this momentum to strengthen their demands and remain determined in the face of opposition.
These voices and actions are often echoed and amplified in news coverage. In keeping with our annual tradition, BMSG staff compiled a list of media bites — quotes from news articles, interviews, and social media that stick with us long after we first hear or read them. Here are this year’s top 10 media bites, which embody the spirit of resistance and resilience. We hope our selections inspire you and invite you to share your own favorite quotes with us on social media.
Top 10 media bites
“I shouldn’t have to be worried, while doing my applications in a study room, about a kid who got shot in the bathroom. That’s not a concern a 17-year-old, a 14-year-old, or anyone should have.”
– AJ Baldridge, a senior at Skyline High in Oakland
Appeared Nov. 18, 2025 in The Oaklandside
Why we like it: Far too few news articles quote youth, even when the issue being discussed directly affects them. In this media bite, Baldridge puts the reader in her shoes, showing us the school environment she occupies — an often overlooked perspective in media coverage of school shootings.
“SNAP is a tool for maintaining stability, dignity, and self-determination. SNAP is about not having to choose between darkness and dinner.”
– Alexina Cather MPH, Director of Policy and Special Projects at Wellness in the Schools
Appeared Nov. 11, 2025 in Civil Eats
Why we like it: Cather uses her authentic voice, highlighting her own lived experiences to illustrate why SNAP is vital to public wellbeing. While Cather doesn’t explicitly use the word “government,” she shows that government is how we bring solutions to scale.
“Every affordable unit represents a story of stability: a child who can stay in their same school, a nurse who can live near the hospital, a barista who can walk to work, a retiree who can remain in the community they helped build. … Housing is not just a policy issue, it’s a foundation for community well-being.”
– Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley
Appeared Oct. 18, 2025 in the Santa Cruz Sentinel
Why we like it: At BMSG, we often advise advocates to bring context into their storytelling and make the landscape as vivid as the portrait. This media bite shows what that looks like in practice. In it, Mayor Keeley brings policy to life by showing how affordable housing improves the lives of individuals and families — and has positive ripple effects on the community as a whole.
“If large swaths of the population were being sickened by a poison released from an industrial plant, no one would suggest that the solution is to just offer home filters, wearables and supplements. The only real path to restoring health would have to include mandating the removal of the poison from the environment.”
-Julia Belluz and Kevin Hall, co-authors of the book Food Intelligence
Appeared Sept. 10, 2025 in The New York Times
Why we like it: Metaphors are an effective way to help people understand complex or abstract issues. Here, Belluz and Hall use an excellent analogy to show the role of environments in shaping health and make the case for systemic solutions to the environment created by food companies.
“We are not the footnotes in some infamous predator’s tabloid article. We are the experts and the subjects of this story. … We are one powerful voice, too loud to ignore, and we will never be silenced again.”
– Jess Michaels, survivor of abuse by Jeffrey Epstein
Appeared September 3, 2025, in Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from an American
Why we like it: Michaels makes a powerful call for justice and accountability, noting that “they are not favors from the powerful. They are obligations decades overdue.” She highlights the strength of the survivors of sexual abuse and trafficking who keep raising their voices despite how difficult that is. In a case that has often been relegated to a political circus, Michaels reminds us that real human lives were impacted — and survivors refuse to be silenced.
“The vaccine isn’t running for public office. We don’t need to vote to determine whether to use it. We need to do a better job explaining the science that supports the use of the vaccine.”
– Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center and an attending physician in the division of infectious diseases at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Appeared Aug. 15, 2025 in The Guardian
Why we like it: Information environments are increasingly recognized as social determinants of health. Using plain language, this quote demonstrates why.
“If we care about climate, we’re going to have to care about trans rights. And if we care about climate, we’re going to have to find ways of getting America and the whole world past all forms of bigotry so that we can work together to face an existential threat to all of humanity and the natural world.”
– Vivian Taylor, climate policy expert
Appeared June 10, 2025 in Atmos
Why we like it: What’s good for people is also good for the planet. In this silo-busting media bite, Taylor shows that systemic inequities hinder our ability to respond and adapt to global crises, and inclusive climate solutions benefit us all. Her can-do spirit inspires hope.
“While some may believe that abstaining from vaccination keeps them healthier or more resistant to diseases, the reality is that their “immunity” has, until now, been borrowed from their vaccinated neighbors. This collective shield, known as herd immunity, is not automatic or enduring; it has been built over decades through high vaccination rates.”
– Dr. Jerome Adams, former United States Surgeon General
Appeared March 20, 2025 in CNN
Why we like it: In this quote, Dr. Jerome Adams reframes vaccination, showing how it is a community-wide obligation and not just an individual choice. By moving away from portrait framing toward landscape framing, Dr. Adams shows how we benefit from the immunization of generations before us, and people around us.
“I wholeheartedly believe in the right to own a gun. I just happen to believe in the freedom from gun violence a bit more.”
– Nathan Thompson, a school shooting survivor who works with Moms Demand Action
Appeared February 12, 2025 in the Kentucky Lantern
Why we like it: Thompson uses firsthand experience to reframe a shared value — freedom — from a progressive lens. In doing so, he helps to bridge the political gap on a highly fraught issue. After all, research shows that people are not as divided on gun reform as media coverage often suggests.
“Killing people with paperwork instead of a gun doesn’t make you any less of a murderer.”
– Arwa Mahdawi, Guardian columnist and the author of Strong Female Lead
Appeared January 14, 2025 in The Guardian
Why we like it: After the shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, conversations arose about how health insurance companies often make life-or-death calls for patients on the basis of cost. Mahdawi succinctly describes such policy violence in plain language.
Feeling nostalgic? Take a look at previous years’ media bites for a trip down memory lane:
- Top 10 public health and social justice media bites of 2024
- Top 10 public health and social justice media bites of 2023
- Top 10 public health and social justice media bites of 2022
- Top pandemic-themed public health media bites of 2021, metaphor edition
- Top 10 public health and social justice media bites of 2020
Did you find a great media bite this year that we haven’t included? We’d love to hear from you! Send your favorite media bites to us on Bluesky, Facebook, or LinkedIn.