Top 10 public health and social justice media bites of 2023
by: Lunden Mason
posted on Wednesday, December 27, 2023
“We need to fight political despair wherever we find it.” — Jamelle Bouie
It is an annual tradition at BMSG to curate a list of our favorite media bites from the year. As our staff reads countless news articles and social media posts, sometimes we encounter quotes so moving that we write them down and return to them later for deeper consideration. These media bites serve as an opportunity to reflect on the year’s triumphs, hardships, and losses through a public health lens. They also underscore the role communication plays in advancing our collective well-being. Above all, this list is our own way of combatting despair. It reminds us that advocates everywhere are fighting to make our world better.
2023 has brought its own set of challenges for public health advocates to tackle. It has been the hottest year in recorded history, spurring climate action across the world, often led by the young people whose futures are so deeply at stake. Reproductive justice activists have fought to protect and expand abortion access and support maternal health in the post-Roe era, winning elections in Ohio, Kentucky, and Virginia. Still, many continue to suffer at the hands of that fateful Supreme Court decision. Income inequality has worsened, housing has become more expensive, and ever-rising interest rates have made it harder for borrowers. Newsrooms continue to wrestle with difficult questions, like how to responsibly report on the violence in Gaza and beyond, and how to evolve past traditional notions of objectivity as journalism diversifies to better reflect our world. This year has taught us that the challenges we face, our lives, and our futures are deeply intertwined. See below for our Top 10 media bites for 2023, and why we like them so much.
“There’s actually no way that one side is going to win,” she said. “Our futures are intertwined and the only way that we can keep ourselves alive is by keeping each other alive.”
-Libby Lenkinski, vice president at the New Israel Fund, an organization that supports Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups.
Appeared Nov. 17, 2023 in The New York Times.
Why we like it: This quote highlights the value of interconnection. It shows that when we “other” people, we don’t just hurt them, we hurt ourselves.
“More and more journalists of color and younger white reporters, including LGBTQ+ people, in increasingly diverse newsrooms believe that the concept of objectivity has prevented truly accurate reporting informed by their own backgrounds, experiences and points of view.”
–Leonard Downie Jr., former executive editor of The Washington Post and professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.
Appeared Jan. 30, 2023 in The Washington Post.
Why we like it: As increasingly diverse journalists are faced with news that often threatens their very identities, shifting away from the concept of objectivity towards transparency and truth informed by life experience only enhances the credibility of reporters and the industry at large. Further, “objectivity” is often an incomplete or narrow version of the truth that upholds the status quo and — intentionally or not — silences other voices and perspectives.
“The decision and its aftermath have freed people to acknowledge — or even shocked them into realizing — that a civilized country requires access to abortion. It is possible, and I’ll even be bold enough to say that it is probable, that in Roe v. Wade’s constitutional death lies the political resurrection of the right to abortion.”
-Linda Greenhouse, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist.
Appeared Jan. 18, 2023 in The New York Times.
Why we like it: Despite the tragic overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022, 2023 has revitalized the reproductive justice movement, with many states voting to protect their constituents’ right to abortion. Ohioans, for example, voted to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution this year. This quote instills hope for future victories and elevates the tenacity and strong political will of advocates.
“I don’t need to see yet another Black body splayed on my timeline to know that police brutality is real, and neither should anyone else. Black people shouldn’t have to suffer the further indignity of having their dying moments broadcast to a world that isn’t going to do anything about it anyway.”
–Tayo Bero, Columnist.
Appeared Jan. 31, 2023 in The Guardian.
Why we like it: This quote reminds us of the terror of police violence in Black communities and invites readers to contemplate an ongoing debate within journalism about where the line should be drawn between truth and voyeurism. While showing too little can draw criticism of censorship, showing too much, as this writer points out, risks exploiting, dehumanizing, and even retraumatizing entire communities.
“Instead of pushing culture wars and partisanship, lawmakers should focus on the 800 people dying each day from poverty in the wealthiest nation on earth. Our politicians have failed to act, and leaders who stand silent in the face of these injustices are guilty of policy murder.”
-The Rev. William Barber.
Appeared July 24, 2023 in The Guardian.
Why we like it: This is a great example of social math — breaking down a large number into a smaller increment to make it easier to grasp. Further, the phrase “policy murder” broadens the frame of violence to include the impact of poverty and places responsibility for such violence on policymakers.
“Just to be very clear, what the residents of East 12th are asking the city is, instead of evicting us, instead of throwing away our property, instead of towing our vehicles, can you please provide us with clean drinking water? Can you please provide us with Porta Potties? Can you provide hand-washing stations? Can you help us stop the violence here?”
-Needa Bee, an unhoused activist with the organization The Village.
Appeared Sept. 22, 2023 in The Oaklandside.
Why we like it: This media bite from an unhoused activist uses concise, jargon-free language to call for concrete solutions and humanize how city officials think of homeless populations. By naming some of the many social and environmental barriers that unhoused people face, the quote also helps to broaden the frame surrounding housing and demonstrate its connection to health.
“[C]limate change came to us. It broke down our doors and windows and delivered a rain of shit on to everything we loved. I don’t want this to be [my child’s] future, or the future for any child. There are solutions, Australia is just not utilising them.”
-Ella Buckland, campaign manager at Australian Parents for Climate Action in Lismore, New South Wales.
Appeared Feb. 28, 2023 in The Guardian.
Why we like it: Though the effects of climate change are unequally felt — with those contributing least to global emissions experiencing the most extreme consequences of the climate crisis — it will inevitably be felt by all at some point in time. This quote gives the perspective of someone who has already experienced such consequences firsthand. Further, the author appeals to solutions and emphasizes the role of government in implementing those solutions.
“Doctors learned to rationalize a deeply unequal health care system that emphasizes personal, rather than public, moral responsibility for protecting health. We sit at our patients’ bed sides and counsel them on their duty to counteract the risks of obesity, heart disease and diabetes, for example, while largely ignoring how those diseases are tied to poor access to quality food because of economic inequities.”
-Eric Reinhart, political anthropologist and physician at Northwestern University.
Appeared Feb. 5, 2023 in The New York Times.
Why we like it: This quote from an authentic voice (a physician) shifts the narrative of burnout by medical practitioners to one of disillusionment with the entire medical system. This places responsibility for change with systems — holding accountable our for-profit health system rather than often overworked and underpaid medical professionals. Additionally, it elevates the value of examining root causes and prevention rather than only treating disease after the fact.
“The ‘stranger danger’ theme is very beneficial to police because it’s hard for police to make arguments to acquire military equipment and surveillance apparatus if most violent crime is committed by family members or friends. It starts to feel like a social problem that requires a very different public health intervention.”
-Alec Karakatsanis, civil rights lawyer.
Appeared April 19, 2023 in the Los Angeles Times.
Why we like it: Decades of research, including our own at BMSG, shows that crime reporting tends to elevate violence that is extreme, rare, or otherwise not very representative of what people experience most commonly. For example, much of our work analyzing media coverage of violence has demonstrated that cases of domestic and intimate partner violence are underreported, making it harder for the public to understand violence, its causes, and solutions. This quote helps to bring the reality of crime in line with how journalists ought to report on it.
“It’s not just planting trees, it’s not just feeding people, it’s not just planting gardens, it’s growing a community that thrives.”
-Wanda Stewart, executive director of Common Vision.
Appeared Sept. 20, 2023 in The Oaklandside.
Why we like it: This quote takes the abstract concept of community and makes it concrete, showing how people are deeply connected to our environments and to one another. It also displays how small acts can lead to big changes.
Did you find a great media bite this year that we haven’t included? We’d love to hear from you! Send your favorite media bites to us at engage@bmsg.org.