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
by: Berkeley Media Studies Group
posted on Thursday, May 22, 2025
You wouldn’t know it from news coverage, but U.S. residents are more united on many issues than we realize, including Medicaid, which is currently under attack. A phenomenon known as the spiral of silence keeps many people from being as vocal as they want to be about supporting health care access and other major issues. Here are five tips, adapted from a recent webinar and BMSG’s many years of supporting people on the ground, for breaking the silence and communicating effectively about public health.
Tags: dei, division, framing, medicaid, messaging, unity, values
by: Ingrid Daffner Krasnow and Shaddai Martinez Cuestas
posted on Monday, December 16, 2019
Relying too heavily on data to make your case, inadvertently reinforcing opposition arguments, and simply getting tongue-tied are all common communication pitfalls. The good news is they can be avoided. This blog, the second in a three-part series, draws on our work with advocates and captures lessons that they can apply to any public health or social justice issue.
Tags: framing, media advocacy, strategic communication
by: Heather Gehlert
posted on Tuesday, April 26, 2016
As soda taxes - and opposition to them – continue to attract media attention, the challenge for advocates is to stay in control of the conversation. These creative visuals can help.
Tags: framing, soda taxes
by: Fernando Quintero
posted on Wednesday, January 13, 2016
As he races for the Republican nomination, how is Donald Trump shaping public discourse and what does this mean for advocates’ messaging efforts?
Tags: Donald Trump, framing, media advocacy, political correctness, racism, sexism
by: Caity Dekker
posted on Thursday, September 17, 2015
With nutrition-related diseases regularly making headlines, food and beverage companies are eager to portray themselves as part of the solution. In this Q&A, BMSG’s Laura Nixon discusses new research on industry messaging and implications for public health.
Tags: beverage industry, food industry, framing, media, obesity, public health
by: Allyson Frazier
posted on Friday, June 19, 2015
How public health messages are framed affects how the public and policymakers understand issues and what to do about them. PreventObesity.net’s Inside Track talks with BMSG’s Fernando Quintero about the pitfalls of one common type of framing and how advocates can avoid it.
Tags: framing, media advocacy, messaging, public health
by: Fernando Quintero
posted on Thursday, April 30, 2015
The “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” myth is pervasive in our culture and in the media. Here’s how advocates can reframe the conversation to better support health.
Tags: default frame, framing, personal responsibility, public health
by: Fernando Quintero
posted on Thursday, October 16, 2014
In Mexico, health advocates frame junk food marketing to kids as a human rights violation. Should U.S. advocates do the same?
Tags: framing, junk food marketing to kids, public health
by: Heather Gehlert
posted on Wednesday, October 01, 2014
The words we use to describe public health issues can open people up to new ideas or reinforce old ways of thinking, undermining advocates’ efforts to make the case for policies that support health. Here are three common phrases that may be doing the latter.
Tags: framing, language, media advocacy, public health
