by: Pamela Mejia and Rachel Weidinger and Heather Gehlert
posted on Thursday, March 05, 2026
Amid rising attacks on racial justice and democratic norms, many communicators and organizers are struggling with what to say, how to say it, and when to speak. A new decision-making tool from Berkeley Media Studies Group and Narrative Initiative offers guidance for navigating that uncertainty and making clearer, more confident narrative choices.
Tags: narrative change, racial justice, strategic communication
by: Saneeha Mirza
posted on Thursday, December 18, 2025
As staff members monitor the news throughout the year, we hold on to quotes that reaffirm our hope for the future. These media bites — pulled from news articles, op-eds, and social media posts — motivate us to push forward, challenge us to consider perspectives different from our own, or inspire us to imagine the kind of world we’d like to see. In keeping with BMSG’s annual tradition, we have curated a list of our favorite media bites from the past year. Read more for our top picks and reasons why we included them.
Tags: media bites, public health, social justice
by: Saneeha Mirza
posted on Thursday, December 04, 2025
What journalists need to know about covering attacks on trans rights.
Tags: media analysis, trans, transgender
by: Heather Gehlert
posted on Thursday, November 13, 2025
Marshawn Kneeland’s tragic death has captured national attention, yet most news coverage is missing the opportunity to highlight a broader crisis that rarely makes headlines: suicide by firearm. To truly honor his life, we must break the silence around suicide and talk openly about how to prevent future tragedies.
Tags: media analysis, stigma, suicide prevention
by: Berkeley Media Studies Group
posted on Tuesday, November 04, 2025
As public health advocates, we know that food is foundational to well-being. Yet too often, the public conversation about SNAP is dominated by harmful and inaccurate stereotypes that ignore the program’s broad benefits to entire communities. This blog contains sample messages to help communicators shift the narrative and tell a more complete story about SNAP.
Tags: food security, message development, public health, snap, strategic communication
by: Lunden Mason
posted on Thursday, October 23, 2025
As our communities face an onslaught of new and varied threats, it’s important to remember that we already have many of the tools we need to resist injustice and advance health equity. Power mapping is one such tool. In this Q&A, Dr. Katherine Schaff, BMSG’s Director of Racial and Health Equity Strategy, discusses how power mapping, which is rooted in community organizing, can be used to build narrative power and advance policy change.
Tags: narrative power, power mapping, public health, strategic communication
by: Charles Udeze
posted on Thursday, October 02, 2025
Today’s political climate can leave advocates feeling dejected. However, it can also be an opportunity to adapt existing strategies to meet this moment and continue to support communities and causes that are more important than ever.
Tags: community organizing, strategic communication
by: Diana Guardado
posted on Thursday, September 18, 2025
Advocacy can feel intimidating. But when you come with a values-based strategy, grounded research, and a story that bridges the personal with the political, people listen. Diana Guardado, BMSG Program Associate for Racial and Health Equity Strategy, recounts her experience advocating for policy change at the state level and shares the strategies she used to tell a compelling story.
by: Lunden Mason
posted on Tuesday, September 09, 2025
What makes some health policies feel controversial while others are embraced as common sense? It’s not the data — it’s the narrative. Decades of organizing and advocacy work resulted in strong public health narratives that explain why people today overwhelmingly accept drunk-driving laws or tobacco regulations that keep airplanes, restaurants, and other common spaces smoke-free. We can change the current narrative around public health issues like racial equity, health care access, and housing security by applying lessons from previous public health battles and working strategically to create strong coalitions across institutions, organizations, and media. To learn more about narrative power and why public health needs an infrastructure to build it, read our Q&A with Sarah Gollust, Professor of Health Policy and Management at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.
Tags: health equity, Milbank Quarterly, narrative infrastructure, narrative power, public health
by: Berkeley Media Studies Group and FrameWorks Institute
posted on Monday, June 02, 2025
As we move ever closer to legislation that will slash critical federal funding for health, it’s vital that voices in the movement for health equity speak up consistently and effectively. To help advocates overcome analysis paralysis and craft messages that work, BMSG teamed up with the FrameWorks Institute in our latest blog. Read on to learn about common framing pitfalls and try out our sample messages as you speak out in support of Medicaid and other critical components of our social safety net.
Tags: framing, medicaid, message development, messaging
