Media advocacy and public health: power for prevention

Media Advocacy and Public Health lays out the theoretical framework and practical guidelines to media advocacy strategies, and eight case studies illustrate how media advocacy has been successfully applied.

Abstract

Media Advocacy and Public Health develops the concept of media advocacy as a central strategy for the prevention of public health problems. How we think about health problems, and what we do about them, is largely determined by how they are reported on television, radio, and in the newspaper. Often, crucial issues of public health policy are discussed and decided only after they are made visible by the media. A traditional communication strategy like social marketing focuses on giving people a message. Media advocacy gives people a voice. Media Advocacy and Public Health lays out the theoretical framework and practical guidelines to media advocacy strategies. Eight case studies, ranging from alcohol to AIDS, illustrate how media advocacy has been successfully applied. This resource is part of the Public Health Advocacy Website Collection.