Not every organization has a motto, but BMSG has two. After 29 years, they still fit the bill. First, from Dr. Suess:
Make every Who holler! Make every Who shout!
In Dr. Seuss’s story, Horton the elephant hears a tiny voice on a speck of dust. Turns out the whole town of Whoville lives on that little speck. Horton organizes every Who so, together, they can raise their collective voice and be heard. We still take our cue from Horton and use the media to amplify what advocates do on the ground to improve the health of their communities. And then, from BMSG longtime friend Dan Buckley who coined the motto on our first staff T-shirt:
All questions answered. All answers questioned.
This motto describes what we do when advocates come to us for help getting their voices heard. We start by asking questions that aim for the heart of the matter: Why do we want the change in the first place? Then, how do we get there? Our collaborations since our founding in 1993 have helped advocates insist that public officials from city hall to our nation’s capital answer their toughest questions. So what questions will advocates be asking in the years and decades? And what answers will we be questioning? Whatever the issues, whatever the media landscape, one thing isn’t likely to change: Advocates will still be pushing to create a better world — one where everyone, no matter their zip code, can be healthy. And if BMSG has any say, we’ll still be using the power of the media to help them do it.
In 2013, in celebration of our 20th anniversary, BMSG invited some of our friends and colleagues to share their media advocacy expertise and reflections with us in guest blog posts and in lunchtime talks. We’ve continued the learning series ever since and have captured many of the talks on video. We invite you to pull up a chair, turn up your speakers and enjoy the conversation like we did.
Lunchtime learning discussion and guest blogger series
Creating newsrooms that better represent and serve their communities
Martin G. Reynolds, co-executive director of the Maynard Institute, visited BMSG in 2019 to discuss the Maynard Institute’s work to build diversity in newsrooms. Reflecting on the perception gaps that we all hold, Martin noted that “a community can’t be healthy if it has an inaccurate view of itself.” He also emphasized that health and journalism are among the sectors in society that should not be driven by unbridled profit. Learn more about the Maynard Institute at https://www.mije.org/.
Using stories to drive change
In this summer 2019 installment of our lunchtime learning series, Amy Hill from StoryCenter came to the BMSG office to speak with the team about digital storytelling. Amy discussed the power of stories to drive change, the acts of listening and sharing stories as a means of transforming communities, and the importance of anchoring your storytelling within an overall strategy. Learn more about StoryCenter and see examples of their digital storytelling work here: https://www.storycenter.org.
Community development at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
In this January 2019 installment of our lunchtime learning series, Bina Patel Shrimali, DrPH, and Laurel Gourd from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco discussed the work they’re doing to address the social determinants of health as part of the Community Development team at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco — and how this fits in with the Federal Reserve’s mandate. They explored, for example, how credit deserts are a public health issue, how capital and services can be brought to low-income communities with a history of disinvestment and discrimination, and how the Fed can communicate more effectively about gentrification. Other key areas of focus include: place and health; mental health; housing stability; climate resilience, especially in low- and moderate-income communities; and innovations in financing.
Beyond the individual: Telling a systems story
How can journalists make readers care without centering the story of an individual? In this talk, Bernice Yeung, author and reporter at Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting, came to the BMSG office to discuss her work covering sexual assault against America’s most vulnerable workers. Bernice touched on the importance of reporting that brings solutions to the fore and how journalists can incorporate a systems focus into their storytelling. She also spoke to the need for increased diversity in newsrooms, noting, “If we’re not diverse, then we’re not covering our communities accurately.” You can order Bernice’s book, “In a Day’s Work,” here: https://thenewpress.com/books/days-work.
What is left to debate about Donald Trump’s ‘base’? Breaking down the results of the 2016 presidential election
What happened in the 2016 election? What didn’t happen? In this talk, Josh Clark, Tides senior fellow at the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society, discussed class, race, health and resentment as they relate to the 2016 presidential election. Through his research, Josh examined shifts in voting behavior among different demographic groups that led to the election of Donald Trump — and challenged dominant media narratives about Trump’s “base.” Read Josh’s Haas Institute report on the 2016 election results here: http://haasinstitute.berkeley.edu/postelection2016.
Grassroots strategies for social change
How can advocates put pressure on major corporations to address structural racism? What does it take to create a national campaign that will put pressure on policy makers and have a big impact? How can grassroots organizers make sure their voice is heard? These are some of the questions we discussed in our conversation with Color of Change Campaign Manager Brandi Collins on September 29, 2016. Learn more about Brandi’s work at Color of Change by visiting https://colorofchange.org/campaigns/active/.
Elevating stories about sexual violence among undocumented women
Headlines about sexual harassment and violence appear in the news regularly. But for undocumented women who work in farm fields and in the service industry, such abuse often goes unreported. Two documentaries from Frontline — Rape in the Fields and Rape on the Night Shift — break the silence on this issue and uncover the systemic abuse that hundreds of thousands of undocumented women face. Andres Cediel, whose team produced the films, joined BMSG for a conversation about the documentaries, the process by which they came to life, and how such work intersects with some of what we at BMSG have found in our own research about sexual violence in the news.
Video: The power of the personal voice in media advocacy
Effective storytelling is an important way for advocates to bring media attention to important public health issues. As the Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program’s Genoveva Islas points out in this talk, if public health advocates don’t tell their own stories, someone else will, but from a different perspective. Along with CCROPP’s Brandie Banks-Bey, Islas shares three steps that advocates can take to get better at articulating the problems in their communities and what can be done to address them. View video >
Video: Beyond sound bites: The role of power in communication
Values are an important part of communicating, but where do they come from and how are they created? Who gets to matter in public conversations, and how can advocates make their voices more powerful? In this conversation, Praxis Project Executive Director Makani Themba discusses the role of institutional actors in producing values and encourages advocates to get involved in that process. She urges us to move beyond fleeting sound bites and develop a deeper communication strategy that addresses power imbalances. View video >
Going ‘Off/Page’ with youth-powered digital storytelling
How can poets work with health advocates and investigative journalists to raise awareness around some of the most critical issues impacting young people today? José Vadi explores that question and more through the Off/Page Project, a unique collaboration between two organizations that would seem to have little in common: The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) and Youth Speaks, a San Francisco nonprofit providing literary arts education with an emphasis on spoken word poetry. In conversation with BMSG, Vadi discussed the Off/Page Project’s work, which analyzes Stockton, California’s bankruptcy crisis through the lives and storytelling of a group of Stockton teens. This new form of “sourced storytelling” powered by youth-centered spoken word films, is also showcased through The Bigger Picture, Youth Speaks’ collaboration with UCSF’s Center for Vulnerable Populations that exposes the systemic causes of Type 2 diabetes. Vadi shared with BMSG The Bigger Picture’s two latest films, centered around the impact of sugar-sweetened beverages in the Latino community.
Video: The fight to reduce auto hazards
Automobiles are a major cause of injury and death, yet because they have long been a symbol of freedom in the U.S., efforts to regulate them often meet resistance. Even basic protections like seat belts and airbags that we now take for granted were once contested. In this video, Ben Kelley, director of injury control policy at the Trauma Foundation and author of “Death by Rental Car: How the Houck Case Changed the Law“, discusses the evolution of auto industry regulation and changes in the public’s perception of and media reporting on the issue since the early 20th century. View video >
Blog: Three ingredients for social change that every advocate should know
Being an advocate often means working toward transformative social change in the face of great odds. When a challenge seems too big and we feel discouraged at the thought of tackling it, here are a few insights from BMSG Senior Fellow Lawrence Wallack to help keep us going. Read more >
Target marketing of alcohol to black urban youth
Alcohol sponsorship of rap artists has long been a key way for advertisers to target young black men. How have connections between the alcohol and music industries changed over time? How has this influenced cultural norms and risk-taking behavior in youth? Denise Herd, Associate Professor of Behavioral Sciences at U.C. Berkeley’s School of Public Health, discussed these questions and shared research findings on the issue in her visit on June 13, 2013. Learn more about her work.
Video: Authentic community engagement
In the heat of a campaign, it can be easy to forget that advocacy is about more than winning a particular policy change. It’s about values and relationships — and that requires dialogue. In this discussion, Francisco (Pancho) Argüelles, executive director of the Living Hope Wheelchair Association, encourages us to step outside our comfort zones and learn how to open the space for conversation so that we can become better allies to communities struggling for justice. View video >
Video: Making the case for government
Advocates work tirelessly for social change on a variety of issues. But their efforts may be thwarted by underlying negative attitudes toward government and a widespread misunderstanding of its role in creating a healthy, functioning society. As part of BMSG’s 20th anniversary discussion series, Patrick Bresette, program director for Public Works, explores how we can tackle this problem and build public support for a government dedicated to the common good. View video >
Blog: Media advocacy then and now: An advocate reflects on 20 years of using the media to improve public health
How is media advocacy the same and how has it changed in the 20 years since BMSG opened its doors? Our former deputy director, Katie Woodruff, looks back on the evolution and shows what keeps advocates going over the long haul. Read more >
Improving how the media report on health equity
How can journalists communicate about complex issues like structural racism and other root causes of health inequities? What questions can reporters ask to improve their coverage of dispossessed communities? What is the line between journalism and advocacy? These are some of the questions we discussed in our conversation with veteran journalists Sally Lehrman and Venise Wagner on January 7, 2013. We weren’t able to record their visit, but you can learn more about Venise’s work at San Francisco State University and find out more about Sally’s work by visiting her website or her faculty page at Santa Clara University.