by Carl Smith | Governing
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
Researchers from Columbia University visited five states to see how they were using money from the American Rescue Plan to build their public health workforces. They found that progress toward a robust public health system depends on political strategies that build community support from the ground up. These findings, they note, echo BMSG’s own recommendations, which state that messaging should always be rooted in local context and strategy.
by Andrea Vittorio | Bloomberg Law
Wednesday, May 03, 2023
Online platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube would need to obtain teenagers’ permission before collecting their personal information, under a bipartisan bill that would modernize a decades-old law for the social media age. Berkeley Media Studies Group, along with many of our partners, including the Center for Digital Democracy, endorsed the legislation.
by Susie Neilson | San Francisco Chronicle
Saturday, April 08, 2023
The fatal stabbing of tech executive Bob Lee sent shockwaves through San Francisco, igniting fear that the city is becoming more dangerous. The data tell us, however, that San Francisco has one of the lowest homicide rates among all U.S. major cities. Pamela Mejia, BMSG’s head of research and interim director, has spent years studying violence and uses her expertise to explain why perceptions of crime often don’t match reality. She cites the element of randomness, the visceral nature of stabbings, and the high profile of Bob Lee as a few reasons why many locals falsely believe that crime is rising. On a broader scale, Mejia believes the stigmatization of highly visible unhoused populations contributes to unnecessary fear and hopelessness. To effectively communicate crime statistics, Mejia suggests addressing fears right off the bat so that people are in the right space to listen to the data.
by Edwin Flores | NBC News
Wednesday, March 15, 2023
Latinos are almost 20% of the population but appear in less than 6% of racial equity news, found a new study from BMSG and our partners at UnidosUs, with support from the Public Health Institute. What’s more, Latinos are more often portrayed as victims than as agents of change. “When the news focuses only on problems without also exploring solutions, people — including policymakers — have a harder time envisioning next steps,” said Pamela Mejia, the head of research at BMSG. “Readers need to see the work that organizers and advocates are doing to improve their communities. Those are the kinds of stories that encourage action and instill hope.” The report also got picked up by Fox and MSN and received coverage from MITÚ, Philanthropy News Digest, BeLatina, and SaludAmerica!.
by Joan Tabachnick | Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers
Wednesday, January 18, 2023
In this article from The Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers, BMSG’s own Head of Research, Pamela Mejia’s work is featured in a discussion about how the media portrays childhood sexual abuse and the abusers who perpetrate it. Article author Joan Tabachnick creates her own version of the Bechdel-Wallace Test specifically for media that broaches the topic of CSA prevention.
by NAAFA | Digital Journal
Thursday, January 12, 2023
New research from the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance supported by BMSG’s Head of Research Pamela Mejia shows how anti-fat attitudes are dominating media coverage. Of the articles evaluated for research, the majority focused on weight loss, with very few acknowledging weight stigma or fat justice. Media coverage has the power to influence policy, which is crucial for fat rights as 48 states have no protections against size-based discrimination. This research has also appeared on the Dove website alongside a petition to end body-size discrimination.
by Heather Gehlert | Columbia Missourian
Friday, September 16, 2022
BMSG’s Heather Gehlert uses a new survey from the nonprofit Trusted Future to create news about how today’s digital ecosystem is harmful to children’s physical and mental health. She weaves in personal storytelling, appeals to values like safety and equity, and urges her elected officials to take action by supporting legislation that would update digital protections for today’s always-online era. As new legislation known as the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) is making its way through Congress, BMSG’s allies at Fairplay are creating media advocacy and letter-writing opportunities for advocates. If you are interested in participating, visit https://fairplayforkids.org/.
by Vincent Schiraldi | The Crime Report
Friday, August 26, 2022
“In 2001, Lori Dorfman of the Berkeley Media Studies Group and I [Vincent Schiraldi] conducted a meta-analysis—a study of studies—of 77 high quality research papers on media coverage of crime, race, and youth entitled Off Balance. We found that, despite the decline in youth crime, policies and public opinion were driven by exaggerated media coverage, often prompted by either high profile, idiosyncratic crimes, political posturing, or both.
For example, between 1993 and 1999, homicides by youth declined by 68% and were at their lowest rate since 1966. Yet 62 percent of the public believed that youth crime was on the rise.”
by Rachel Uda | Katie Couric Media
Tuesday, June 07, 2022
“History has shown us time and again that shock value isn’t very effective,” Heather Gehlert, communications manager at the Berkeley Media Studies Group, tells KCM.
“Connecting to audiences and evoking empathy is critical, but graphic photos aren’t the way to go about it,” Gehlert says. “We can connect through stories from survivors, and we can foster dialogue without using approaches that have the potential to retraumatize people and exploit their pain.”
by Janet Nguyen | Marketplace
Friday, March 18, 2022
In a conversation with Marketplace reporter Janet Nguyen, BMSG’s Heather Gehlert explains why effective public health messaging has to go beyond what’s being said and consider who’s doing the speaking. In the case of booster shots, pharmaceutical companies are likely not the most effective messenger. As Gehlert says, “No matter the message, we have to hear it from trusted local voices who look and sound like the communities they are speaking to.”
