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Media Advocacy

Top Tips (Adapted from the Berkeley Media Studies Group)

Media advocacy: the strategic use of mass media to support community organizing to advance a social or public policy initiative.

  • You cannot have a media strategy if you don’t have an overall strategy.
  • The issues we address are too important not to be framed correctly in the news.
  • A reporter is not your friend or enemy, just a professional trying to do a good job.
  • An interview is not a conversation.
  • It is not enough to know your arguments, you must know the opposition’s arguments.
  • The evil of media bites is that we have to use them.
  • Never compromise your credibility.
  • When developing a media advocacy strategy identify the issues, possible solutions, and who has the power to make it happen.
  • Controversy, conflict, injustice, irony, uniqueness, popular interest, breakthroughs, milestones and great pictures are all newsworthy.

Online Resources and Tools

Advocacy Challenge
http://www.cast.ilstu.edu/temple/esgadch.htm
Introduction to advocacy

Community Tool Box
http://ctb.lsi.ukans.edu
Helpful tools and resources.

Media Watchdog
http://theory.lcs.mit.edu/~mernst/media
On-line media watch items.

NewsWorks
http://www.newslink.org
Access to 3600 newspapers & magazines.

Organization of News Ombudsmen
www.newsombudsmen.org/
Monitors news and feature columns and other forms of media fairness.

FAIR
http://www.fair.org/
New York based media watchdog organization.

Voices of Recovery: Building a Recovery Network- Module 3
http://www.unr.edu/educ/captta/mwattc/on-course/Recovery/Module3/mod3pg1.html
Introduction to organizing, writing letters and media on advocacy.

Suggested Reading

Altman, D.G., Balcazar, F.E., Fawcett, S. B., Seekins, T., & Young, J.Q. 1994. Public Health Advocacy: Creating Community Change to Improve Health. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford Center for Research in Disease Prevention.

Goldman, K.D. & Zasloff, K.D. 1994. "Tools of the Trade: Media Do’s and Don’ts". SOPHE News and Views, 6-7.

Kansiss, P. 1991. Making Local News. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Kickbusch, I. 1989. Action on Health Promotion: Approaches to Advocacy and Implementation. Copenhagen: WHO.

National Cancer Institute. 1988. Media Strategies for Smoking Control: Guidelines. Bethesda, MD.

Olien C.N., Tichenor P.J., Donahue G.A. "Media Coverage in Social Movements." In Information Campaigns: Balancing Social Values and Social Change. Salmon C. (ed.). Newbury Park: Sage Publications, 1990; pp. 139-163.

Perschuk, M. & Wilbur, P. 1991. Media Advocacy: Reframing Public Debate. Washington D.C.: The Benton Foundation.

Ryan, C. 1991. Prime Time Activism. Boston: South End Press.

Wallack, L., Dorfman, L., Jerniagan, D., & Themba, M. 1993. Media Advocacy and Public Health: Power for Prevention. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.

Wallack, L. 1990. "Mass Media and Health Promotion: Promise, Problems, Challenges," Mass Communication and Public Health: Complexities and Conflicts. Newbury Park: Sage Publications.

Wallack, L. 1993. "Media Advocacy: A Strategy for Empowering People and Communities," Journal of Public Health Policy, Newbury Park: Sage publications.

Wallack, L. 1990. "Social Marketing and Media Advocacy: Two Approaches to Health Promotion," World Forum, 1990; 11:143-154

Whitman, A. 1998. "Changing the Media’s Perspective on Public Health," from the Community Tool Box.

Organizations and Consultants

The Center for Civic Partnership does not endorse any of the organizations or consultants listed below. These names are provided for informational purposes.

Berkeley Media Studies Group
Lori Dorfman, Dr.PH, Director
2140 Shattuck Avenue, Suite 804,
Berkeley, CA 94704
Tel:(510) 204-9700
Fax:(510) 204-9710
Email/website: Information not available

The Berkeley Media Studies Group (BMSG) works with, community groups, journalists and public health professionals to use the power of the media to advance healthy public policy." BMSG provides training and consultation on media advocacy and strategic communication planning and works in partnership with The California Wellness Foundation’s Violence Prevention Inititive; S.H. Cowell Foundation’s Alcohol and Youth program; and provides strategic consultation and trainings to numerous organizations.

Fischer Communications
Bobbi Fischer, Principal
Jacobs House at Preservation Park
663 Thirteenth Street
Oakland, CA 94612
Tel: (510) 834-2333
Fax: (510) 834-2336
Email/website: Information not available

Fischer Communications specializes in,"media relations, media training and coaching, issues management and strategic communications planning for health care and nonprofit organizations". Fischer Communications provides videotaped media trainings, strategic planning workshops, media relations seminars and has worked on several large scale media relations activities and health policy communication projects. Clients include AmeriCorps, American Psychoanalytic Association, California Academy of Family Physicians, University of California and The Health Forum.

Davis & Associates, Public Relations
Darolyn Davis, President
655 Montgomery Street, Suite 800
San Francisco, CA 94104
Tel: (415) 274-1821
Email/website: Information not available

Davis and Associates is a full-service public and community relations firm that specializes in stimulating public interest and presenting information that captures the eyes and ears of the press – and the heart of the public. Davis and Associates is responsible for the development and implementation of numerous public relations campaigns, image enhancement strategies, crisis management, and media and community relations plans. Clients include: Oakland Mayor’s Education Summit, Breast Cancer Summit, North Sacramento/Del Paso Heights Community Health Alliance, Omega Boys Club and the California Economic Summit.

Media Alliance
Andrea Buffa, Executive Director; Ben Clarke, Design and Outreach Coordinator
814 Mission Street, Suite 205
San Francisco, CA 94103
Tel: (415) 546-6334
Fax: (415) 546-6218
Email/website: info@media-alliance.org
http://www.media-alliance.org/

The Media Alliance is a nonprofit organization which serves media professionals, nonprofit organizations and the general public in the San Francisco Bay Area. For twenty years, Media Alliance has worked to promote fairness and accuracy in the media in the Bay Area and nationwide. Members include journalists, writers, activists, students and other interested individuals. The Media Alliance provides journalism, media advocacy and computer classes and hosts panel discussions on a wide variety of subjects of interest to media advocates and professionals.

Vivian Chavez, Consultant
1117 6th Street Apt.A
Albany, CA 94710
Tel: (510) 528-6563
Email/website: information not available

Vivian Chavez offers media advocacy training to organizations and groups working on systems change, public education and policy development projects. Vivian Chavez’ training style is interactive and ranges from media basics for beginners to developing media advocacy strategies that advance policy to improve public health.

 

© Public Health Institute, Center for Civic Partnerships 1999

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