Media advocacy, the process of using the media strategically to advance policy change for important public health and social justice issues, is central to the trainings we provide at BMSG. But what does that process look like in the real world? How do the principles of media advocacy get applied in different times and places?
To help advocates understand how media advocacy unfolds in real-life situations, we produce case studies, blogs and other resources across a range of issues that capture the messy but necessary work that advocates, health departments, and other organizations are doing to create healthier, more equitable conditions, often while using strategic communication to engage with their communities and the media.
Through these case studies, we try to glean insights for others who want to get more effective at setting media and policy agendas and framing the debate. To learn more, check out the resources below.
related resources
Advancing health equity: Case studies of health equity practice in California health departments
Across California, a growing number of health departments are going beyond a traditional public health emphasis on programs and services to uncover and combat the root causes of health inequities by focusing on social issues like education, housing and poverty. To help demystify their work and encourage other California health departments to tackle the root causes of health inequities, BMSG developed case studies of California health departments whose award-winning work on health equity was recognized by The California Endowment.
Building Healthy Communities: Case studies of place-based efforts to improve health
The California Endowment’s Building Healthy Communities initiative is working in 14 sites throughout the state to build the power of local communities to advance health equity. Berkeley Media Studies Group has developed case studies of several BHC sites to share success stories, challenges, and lessons learned.
Blog: Using media advocacy to engage elected officials
A small campaign with big impact offers lessons for advocates working to create long-term, lasting social change.
Blog: From tragedy to action: Using media advocacy to advance gun violence prevention legislation
How one advocate helped pass 11 gun violence prevention bills in the aftermath of the country’s deadliest mass shooting.
Blog: Shifting the media conversation on affordable housing
In this Q&A, the Alameda County Public Health Department’s Tram Nguyen discusses how the department has used media advocacy to illuminate the link between housing and health. Nguyen also offers insights for advocates and reporters looking to improve coverage.
Blog: Whose voices are missing from news coverage of soda taxes?
In this Q&A, Dr. Vicki Alexander, who helped lead Berkeley, California’s successful soda tax campaign, discusses the importance of elevating community voices in public health battles and shares lessons for other cities looking to regulate sugary drinks.
Issue 3: Oakland shows the way: The Coalition on Alcohol Outlet Issues and media advocacy as a tool for policy change
In September 1993, a small but dedicated group of prevention advocates in Oakland, Calif., had the alcohol industry running scared. This Issue describes how the coalition used media advocacy successfully in its four-year struggle to rectify the over concentration of alcohol outlets in Oakland.
Issue 6: Youth radio: Broadcasting violence prevention
Youth Radio is dedicated to bringing the voices of youth to young and adult audiences. This is a story of young people using radio to create their own representations as a mechanism for violence prevention.
Issue 16: Moving from head to heart: Using media advocacy to talk about affordable housing
This is the story of how a group of dedicated but frustrated affordable housing advocates learned to tell their story so it reflected their values and the values that resonated with policy makers. What they thought would be a simple refresher course in working with the media transformed their own understanding of affordable housing, how to talk about it, and, ultimately, what was done about it.
Issue 20: Struggling to breathe: How a health department is working with community members to reduce air pollution and improve health equity in Oakland
If you want to reduce and prevent health inequities, then you have to tackle their root social, economic and political causes. For busy health departments with tight deadlines and funding constraints, this no easy task. But, as one health department in California’s Alameda County is showing, the results are worth it. And a few key strategies like collaborating with community and engaging the media can improve prospects for success.
Working upstream: Skills for social change [pdf]
Public health needs more practitioners who can bridge the gap between research and practice, and more students who can advocate for social change. Unfortunately, degree-granting public health programs generally do not provide systematic training in advocacy. Recognizing this gap, BMSG worked with professor Susan Sorenson and dean Lawrence Wallack to develop a curriculum and resource guide that could be adapted by public health programs to teach social advocacy. We enlisted the participation of faculty, nonprofit public health leaders, students and recent graduates from across the nation. Pages 237-268 of the guidebook contain several case studies that extract lessons learned from a variety of media advocacy endeavors, from efforts to allow the sale of emergency contraception over the counter to a campaign to pressure multinational cosmetic companies to reduce the amount of toxic chemicals in their products.