by: Heather Gehlert
posted on Tuesday, October 15, 2019
After being diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer, BMSG’s senior communication manager explores the psychological impact of the way we communicate about the disease, what that means for journalists reporting on the issue, and why people living with cancer should be steering the conversation.
Tags: breast cancer, language, metaphors, news
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
by: Fernando Quintero
posted on Tuesday, June 04, 2013
Using language that moves racism from a personal issue to a structural one is key to showing how policy changes can benefit entire populations. But what does this mean for those who have experienced the personal pain of racism? How can those experiences fuel efforts to reframe it?
Tags: framing, health equity, language, messaging, public health, structural racism
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: Heather Gehlert
posted on Monday, June 11, 2012
Critics of public health measures often use the phrase “nanny state” to evoke fears about the U.S. government exerting too much control over people’s lives. But what’s really behind the words? And what do public health advocates lose when they repeat it?
Tags: Bloomberg, framing, gender, language, nanny state, public health, sexism, soda
by: Fernando Quintero
posted on Thursday, April 26, 2012
Do you ever find yourself bringing up your opposition’s frame before she or he does? By raising the precise frames we intend to counter, even to refute them, we are creating hurdles we now must jump over. And we may be suggesting these arguments to those who had not yet considered them.
Tags: elephant triggers, framing, george lakoff, language, liana winett
