Berkeley Media Studies Group

10/16/2026

At BMSG, we believe strong teams need space to breathe and bond outside the usual rhythm of work. So, earlier this week, we traded our to-do list for tortilla presses and spent the morning resting, connecting, and remembering why community is essential to everything we do. Thanks to the team at Preserved for making the experience so special.

10/15/2026

A recent training we conducted for grantees of Investing in an Equitable Future, an initiative of our friends and colleagues at the Prevention Institute reminded us of an important lesson we’ve known for a long time: Local communities know what problems are affecting them most, and their own community members are the ones most equipped to advance the solutions they need. Our job is simply to help build the communications capacity of the people leading the way.

The BMSG team, including Rosaura Wardsworth, Jocelyn Polanco, and Ingrid Daffner Krasnow, was honored to help the IEF group plan a media strategy grounded in framing and messaging that emphasizes core values and actionable solutions.

The IEF program includes Community Leaders Coalition - Napa Valley, Imperial Valley Equity and Justice, Kennedy Commission, and the OCCCO PICO.

Many thanks to Vince Leus, Juliet Sims, and Katie Landon Miller from the Prevention Institute for inviting us!

10/15/2026

Helen Branswell, a journalist with a storied career reporting on public health, passed away on Tuesday. Branswell is remembered for her dedication to clear, fact-based reporting that made difficult and fearful topics such as the COVID pandemic easy to understand for wide audiences. Amidst anxiety and misinformation, Branswell’s reporting was an example to follow. Read Stat’s full obituary for her here: https://vist.ly/5nj87

10/14/2026

Health equity might be a serious topic, but who says we can’t poke fun at how we talk about it? This satirical article from PLOS points out the pitfalls of common public health-speak in a playful way — though there’s certainly much to be learned! Read here: https://vist.ly/5ndz5

10/13/2026

October is National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, and with intentional messaging, advocates can influence policy to save lives. With the National Overdose Prevention Network, BMSG created a messaging guide for communicating about overdose prevention. https://vist.ly/5naae

10/12/2026

Today marks Indigenous People’s Day, a day to honor the traditions, lives, and history of Indigenous people across the U.S. Want to find a local celebration? Check out this list from Native News Online:

Indigenous Peoples’ Day, observed on October 12, 2025, is a time to recognize the history, culture, and ongoing contributions of Indigenous peoples across the United States.  The day serves as a response to Columbus Day, shifting the focus from colonization to survival, self-determination, and th...

10/09/2026

Narrative and framing changes what people believe is possible. BMSG’s co-founder Lori Dorfman presented at the annual meeting alongside Sarah Gollust and Ayesha McAdams-Mahmoud. Together, they shared guidance with advocates for building narrative power.

10/07/2026

People with breast cancer are often described as warriors going to battle, but what if war metaphors are doing more harm than good? For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we’re revisiting this blog from BMSG’s Strategic Communication Director, Heather Gehlert, who draws on her lived experiences with breast cancer, as well as her professional expertise, to explore the nuances of language.

Read here: https://vist.ly/5meqd

10/06/2026

Fi***rm su***de is a difficult topic to talk about, but when the problem is having hard conversations, the solution is to have more of them. That’s been the core driving force behind the Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH) Fi***rm Su***de Prevention cohort, which works to address growing fi***rm su***de rates. Since 2021, BMSG has worked with the cohort to build communications capacity for a topic that is too important to ignore.

Recently, BMSG’s training team had the opportunity to present lessons from our work with grantees at . We are so grateful for support from the Missouri Foundation for Health and appreciate the opportunity to lift up this work.

10/05/2026

As midterm elections approach, candidates on both sides of the aisle have been pledging to attack trans rights in an effort to win over voters. A recent poll conducted by The 19th and YouGov found that nearly half of those polled would support candidates who vow to restrict trans athletes.

Despite trans rights being a hot topic in the upcoming elections, news articles seldom include the voices of trans people, particularly trans youth. BMSG and conducted a media analysis on attacks on trans rights, with takeaways for journalists hoping to improve their coverage of trans issues.

Read the analysis here: https://vist.ly/5m5e4

Read more about The 19th and YouGov poll here: https://vist.ly/5m5e5