“Framing” refers to how an issue is portrayed and how audiences interpret messages. News frames shape the parameters of public debates by promoting particular definitions of a problem, its causes and what to do about it. For example, if the news media report on childhood obesity solely as a consequence of what kids eat without including contextual factors like whether they live in a neighborhood with access to fresh, healthy food, then the public will be less likely to see the need for policy solutions to create environments that support children’s health. Additionally, the language that’s used, whose perspectives are included or left out, and what types of information are highlighted or omitted all affect how issues are characterized in the media and understood by the public.
Although many reporters strive to be objective, BMSG’s and others’ research confirms that several types of bias — however unintentional — are common in U.S. media coverage, with implications for public health and social justice efforts.
Coverage tends to:
- focus on problems and underreport solutions;
- reinforce cultural beliefs of “rugged individualism” and personal responsibility to the exclusion of the common good and collective responsibility;
- elevate “expert” voices over community voices; and
- exclude important social and historical context.
For advocates to successfully make the case for a policy solution to a public health problem, they must shift these frames — often in the face of a well-funded opposition. For example, when advocates in Berkeley, California, sought to pass the nation’s first tax on soda, they couldn’t match the beverage industry’s deep pockets, but they were able to identify frames that resonated with the community and, in November 2014, voters approved the tax by an overwhelming margin.
Want to learn more about how your issue is portrayed in the news? Check out our news analyses on violence, trauma, abortion stigma, food and beverage environments and more. Don’t see your issue? Contact us to learn more about our research and training options.
Related resources
Framing 101
An introduction to news frames and why they matter.
Shaping public debate with framing and messages [pdf]
This training manual explains framing — what it is and why it matters — and helps advocates apply that knowledge to developing messages in advocacy campaigns. Advocates can use it to practice framing their issue within the context of policy advocacy.
What surrounds us shapes us: Making the case for environmental change
This framing brief helps advocates explain that what surrounds us — our neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces — influences our health. When people understand that, it becomes easier for them to see why policies to support healthy environments are needed. (Look here for a version that applies to tobacco control.)
The problem with obesity
Obesity has become the popular term for a set of problems that result in premature death and injury from diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. It is a convenient term, but we should stop using it. This framing brief explains why.
Moving from them to us: Challenges in reframing violence among youth
This report explores how youth and violence have been framed in the news, how the issue of race complicates depictions of youth and violence, and how public attitudes about government can inhibit public support for violence prevention. It also includes recommended next steps for reframing violence among youth for UNITY, a national effort addressing the root causes of violence.