Letters to the editor can signal community interest about a particular public health issue and send a message to policymakers. Here are some tips to help advocates craft compelling letters and increase their chances of getting published.
Like other public health problems, community violence is preventable — but it’s not often understood that way. As a first step toward changing the discourse around it, we analyzed California news reporting on community violence to understand how the issue is portrayed, who speaks in news coverage, and how solutions are discussed. View the analysis, or read related BMSG research on news about community safety.
Since community violence affects business and education, news coverage of those sectors should include information on violence and safety. In this paper, we explore how community violence appears in California news and identify opportunities for additional and improved coverage. View the report, or read related BMSG research on news about community safety.
BMSG co-founder Larry Wallack, who directs public health studies at Portland State University, joins Rachael Banks, manager of Multnomah County’s Healthy Birth initiative, to discuss a new area of science that shows how certain lifetime stresses create inheritable changes in our bodies. The science challenges prior understanding of genetic inheritance and has major implications for public policy that seeks to create equal health outcomes for communities of color.
Speaking at a November 2014 Place Matters Conference in Portland, Oregon, BMSG’s Lori Dorfman discusses how advocates can use media advocacy to help amplify and accelerate community organizing efforts and advance policies that improve health. She explains why message is never first, discusses the limits of counter-marketing, and shares insights on framing.
In 2013, emergency contraception captured headlines when the FDA made Plan B One-Step available over the counter for women of any age. How did the news media cover this major milestone and the public debate leading up to it? In this paper, we explore how accurate journalists were in their reporting, what arguments for and against emergency contraception appeared in the news, whose voices were missing from coverage, and implications for advocates.
One of the benefits of using social media is the opportunity to build relationships with individuals and organizations that are working on the same issues. In this study, we explore what hashtags advocates and others are using to discuss childhood trauma on Twitter and identify possible next steps for making the most of the conversation.
Strategic zoning and land-use policies can be used to help foster healthy food environments. But is the health argument enough when making the case for these policies? With our colleagues at Public Health Advocacy Institute and ChangeLab Solutions, BMSG analyzed legislative debates and news depictions of fast-food land-use ordinances to help researchers, policymakers and public health advocates better understand the effectiveness of various arguments for and against zoning.
Strategic zoning is a type of land-use planning that can be used to improve the environments that contribute to chronic health problems. But before advocates can implement zoning policy, they must first know how to make the case for it. This study analyzes news coverage and legal documentation of efforts to restrict fast-food restaurants to find out how such policies have are debated.
This study analyzes how the tobacco industry has used “freedom of choice” language and appeals to personal responsibility both in the media and in the courtroom to prevent litigation and blame consumers for the health consequences of using tobacco. Conducted with our colleagues at the Public Health Advocacy Institute, the study also looks at implications for other industries like soda and junk food, which have replicated and refined tobacco industry tactics.
