by Alex Orlov | Mic.com
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Mic.com's Alex Orlov uses Olympian Simone Biles' Hershey's commercial to shed light on food companies' unfortunate practice of using star athletes to promote bad nutrition. These endorsements are especially problematic for young children, who develop, as BMSG Media Researcher Laura Nixon explains, positive associations with the brand. The ad, Orlov concludes, "definitely doesn't stick the landing when it comes to helping America stay healthy."
Hungry Forever
Monday, June 13, 2016
Celebrity spokespeople are attractive to food and beverage companies because they help draw young consumers. As BMSG’s Andrew Cheyne explained to TIME in 2013, “We can’t expect kids to turn off that admiration [for their favorite celebrities] when the same person is selling sugar.”
by Alex Orlov | Mic
Tuesday, June 07, 2016
According to a recent NYU study, over two-thirds of non-alcoholic beverages promoted by celebrities contain added sugar. By associating unhealthy products with the celebrities most popular among children and teens, endorsements of sugar sweetened beverages are contributing to the childhood epidemic of obesity, explains BMSG's Laura Nixon. Nearly 13 million children and teens in the U.S. are obese, placing them at elevated risk for diabetes and other nutrition-related diseases.
by Jake Blumgart | Philly Voice
Friday, May 20, 2016
Berkeley, California's 2014 victory against the soda industry could provide insights for other cities looking to tax soda. Among them, says BMSG's Lori Dorfman, is that community organizing must play a strong role. Also, kids' health should be "the first concern."
by Marion Nestle | Food Politics
Monday, May 09, 2016
After Berkeley Media Studies Group creates a new health-focused, satirical take on Coca-Cola's "Share a Coke and a Song" campaign, Marion Nestle asks if the company's campaign will survive.
Salud America!
Wednesday, May 04, 2016
Shortly after the launch of Coca-Cola's "Share a Coke and a Song" campaign, which features hit songs to promote the product, Berkeley Media Studies Group and other health organizations have taken to Twitter to spread the truth about soda consumption. The groups are posting images of Coke bottles bearing song titles like "Killing Me Softly" and are asking advocates to amplify the message using the hashtag #ShareACoke.
by Lori Dorfman | The New York Times
Monday, April 18, 2016
In this letter to the editor, BMSG’s director Lori Dorfman stresses that when shaping policy, advocates and researchers should be careful not to focus on a single variable — like race — and should instead pull back the lens and examine all of the various intertwined social determinants of health.
by Heather Gehlert | AlterNet
Friday, March 18, 2016
Writing for AlterNet, BMSG's Heather Gehlert discusses the media's inflated coverage of Donald Trump and what this means for public opinion and the health of our democracy.
by Sally J. Laskey | National Sexual Violence Resource Center
Monday, September 28, 2015
How can journalists report ethically on sexual violence? This blog post contains several tips, based on research from BMSG.
by Carolyn Heneghan | Food DIVE
Friday, September 25, 2015
Celebrity endorsements are a common marketing strategy among food and beverage companies. BMSG researcher Andrew Cheyne says such endorsements, particularly those from professional athletes, can send mixed messages to kids about health.
