publications

BMSG's issue series

Little improvement on food marketing to children

Saturday, December 01, 2012

Children in the U.S. continue to grow up in environments saturated by food and beverage marketing, the bulk of it for foods low in nutrients and high in calories, sugars, salt or fats. In spite of the threat this poses to kids’ health, the food industry has balked at adopting even voluntary guidelines to improve its marketing practices. As BMSG’s Lori Dorfman and CSPI’s Margo Wootan show in this article, addressing an issue of this magnitude will require an international commitment to healthy food marketing policies.

Issue 20: Struggling to breathe: How a health department is working with community members to reduce air pollution and improve health equity in Oakland

Thursday, October 25, 2012

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.

News coverage of child sexual abuse and prevention, 2007-2009

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

News media coverage of child sexual abuse can help policymakers and the public understand what must be done to prevent future abuse, but coverage tends to focus on extreme cases. So how do the media frame child sexual abuse in the absence of high-profile cases? In this article, BMSG’s Pamela Mejia, Andrew Cheyne and Lori Dorfman present an analysis of newspaper coverage of the issue and offer recommendations to help advocates shape reporting in ways that highlight the need for prevention.

Media advocacy: A strategy for helping communities change policy

Sunday, July 01, 2012

Policy determines the structure of society and the rules by which we live. In Chapter 22 of the 3rd edition of Community Organizing and Community Building for Health and Welfare, Lori Dorfman and Priscilla Gonzalez show how communities can use media advocacy to shape policy and influence social conditions and environments in ways that support health.

The new threat of digital marketing

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

The rise of marketing strategies tailored to today’s social media landscape have made children and teens increasingly vulnerable to food and beverage industry marketing — often for unhealthy products. Marketers are exploiting youth’s relationship with digital media to foster engagement with their brands. Authors Kathryn Montgomery, Jeff Chester, Sonya Grier and BMSG’s Lori Dorfman call for a set of fair marketing principles and practices both to protect youth and allow them to participate online. (Registration required to view full text.)

Soda and tobacco industry corporate social responsibility campaigns: How do they compare? [pdf]

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

In response to concerns about the link between sugary beverages and obesity, soda manufacturers are using costly and elaborate corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaigns to shift the blame for their products’ health harms onto consumers, boost product popularity, and prevent regulation. In this article for PLoS Medicine, authors from BMSG and Public Health Advocacy Institute show that such tactics resemble those used by the tobacco industry.

The nation needs to do more to address food marketing to children

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

In spite of high childhood obesity rates, food and beverage marketers continue to target youth with increasingly sophisticated ads for foods and drinks high in salt, sugars, and fats. The Institute of Medicine has made strong recommendations for how the food industry and government can reverse the situation, but a new report shows these groups have made little progress. In this commentary, BMSG’s Lori Dorfman and Margo Wootan, of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, call for a national commitment to addressing food marketing to children.

Breaking news on child sexual abuse: Early coverage of Penn State

Monday, January 09, 2012

News coverage of child sexual abuse is typically infrequent compared to how often it actually occurs. But in November 2011, the arrest of Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky on charges of child sexual abuse catapulted the issue into the spotlight and generated an extraordinary volume of coverage. In this report, BMSG examines news coverage generated in the first nine days of the Sandusky case, compares it to our earlier findings about how child sexual abuse is usually covered, and offers suggestions to reporters and advocates based on our observations.

The new age of food marketing: How companies are targeting and luring our kids — and what advocates can do about it

Saturday, October 01, 2011

The explosion of digital culture in recent years has changed how fast food and soda companies market to children and teenagers. Today, powerful and intense promotions are completely, seamlessly integrated into young people’s social relationships and minute-by-minute interactions. This report explores some of marketers’ latest techniques, explains why they should concern public health advocates, and offers resources for taking action.

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