by: Andrew Cheyne
posted on Wednesday, October 03, 2012
The city council of Richmond, Calif., has made headlines by putting a soda tax on the ballot. This has the beverage industry running scared and once again borrowing tactics from Big Tobacco — this time in an effort to deceive voters.
Tags: American Beverage Association, beverage industry, Big Soda, campaign finance, Citizens United, Community Coalition Against Beverage Taxes, public health, Richmond, soda tax
by: Fernando Quintero
posted on Thursday, September 13, 2012
In the fight for public health and social change, advocacy groups must often work for decades before seeing real change. But, as a recent victory for environmental health advocates shows, the struggle is well worth it. And media advocacy can play an important role in getting there.
Tags: advocacy, beauty products, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, cosmetics, environmental health, Johnson & Johnson, product safety, public health, seat belt laws, social change, tobacco
by: Fernando Quintero
posted on Monday, August 20, 2012
The National Association of Hispanic Journalists is one of several prominent Latino organizations that has recently accepted large sums of money from PepsiCo. In doing so, such groups gain much-needed funds for scholarships and internships but may risk losing something even bigger.
Tags: corporate social responsibility, PepsiCo, public health, soda, sports drinks, sugary drinks, target marketing, tobacco
by: Heather Gehlert
posted on Monday, August 13, 2012
Language matters. It affects not only how people view an issue but also how they act on it. When it comes to discussing food policy, a couple of language pitfalls may be thwarting advocates’ efforts at change.
Tags: food, framing, language, obesity, public health, regulation
by: Heather Gehlert
posted on Monday, July 30, 2012
Following New York City’s public hearing on Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposal to cap soda sizes at 16 ounces, critics pushed back, saying the proposal “restricts choice.” The trouble is, those critics don’t explain whose choice is being restricted. And that’s because the answer is soda companies’.
Tags: Bloomberg, choice, framing, language, regulation, soda
by: Fernando Quintero
posted on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Media coverage of violence and other public health issues tends to focus narrowly on individuals, overlooking the context for their actions. Continuing coverage of the Sandusky child sexual abuse case is proving an exception to that rule, yet it is not without shortcomings.
Tags: child sexual abuse, media, Penn State, sandusky, violence prevention
by: Laura Nixon
posted on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
In the wake of last week’s shooting in Aurora, Colo., the news media have been filled with journalists, elected officials, and others bemoaning the rampage as “senseless” and “evil.” But calling it evil does nothing to open up a discussion of how to keep it from happening again.
Tags: Aurora, Colorado, gun control, mental health, public health, violence prevention
by: Pamela Mejia
posted on Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Child sexual abuse has fallen out of the news cycle since Jerry Sandusky was convicted on 45 counts of child sexual abuse last month. Fortunately, children’s advocates are working to remind readers that child sexual abuse doesn’t end when a high-profile trial does.
Tags: Catholic church, child sexual abuse, sandusky, snap
by: Fernando Quintero
posted on Tuesday, June 26, 2012
It’s our government’s duty to protect us from health hazards. Yet a dominant “government intrusion” frame is making efforts to do so difficult. It’s time for public health leaders to vigorously defend government’s role in improving health.
Tags: Bloomberg, government intrusion, nanny state, public health, soda
by: Rebecca Womack and Laura Nixon
posted on Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Reporting on child sexual abuse typically centers on courtroom play-by-plays, with little attention given to prevention or the role of institutions in fostering abuse. The Sandusky case gives the media an opportunity to change that. Are they taking it?
Tags: child sexual abuse, institutional accountability, Jerry Sandusky, Penn State, violence prevention
