Messaging Child Health Care Issues

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Messaging Child Health Care Issues
Phil Sparks Communications Consortium Media
Center January 24, 2007philsparks_at_ccmc.org
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Primary Values Groups (Developed by Belden
Russonello Stewart)

• Responsibility to care for ones family
• Related values Financial obligation to care
  for family obligation to care for emotional well
  being of family obligation to educate, guide and
  discipline children and obligation to care for
  the physical health and safety of ones children.
• Responsibility to care for oneself
• Related values Self-reliance financial
  security taking responsibility for ones
  actions and self-discipline.
• Personal liberty
• Related values Freedom of expression
  individuality independence freedom from
  obligations reproductive freedom and sexual
  freedom.
• Work
• Related values Working hard is good and
  everyone should work.
• Belief in God
• Honesty/Integrity
• Fairness/Equality
• Related values Justice Golden Rule equal
  opportunity tolerance and respect for others.

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Secondary Values Groups (Developed by Belden
Russonello Stewart)

• Responsibility to care for others
• Related values Care for less fortunate leave
  the world a better place for others care for
  other species and care for the earth.
• Personal fulfillment
• Related values Ego-centered being creative
  materialism learning and aesthetic enjoyment.
  Relationship-centered friendship having
  emotionally supportive relationships being
  married and having children.
• Respect for authority
• Related values Obedience to law respect for
  institutions and respect for order.
• Love of country or culture
• Related values National pride loyalty to
  country and cultural pride.

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Levels of Thinking

• Level One Big ideas justice, family, democracy,
  rights, responsibilities, equality, opportunity,
  core values
• Level Two Issue-types movements like
  womens/civil rights, economic justice, the
  environment, voter mobilization, childrens
  advocates
• Level Three Specific policy proposals
  Estate/death tax, family and medical leave, tax
  reform, early education, minimum wage, paid sick
  leave
• Source George Lakoff for the Frameworks
  Institute

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Open the Right Door

• Advocates too often operate at level three
• But the public is usually up at level one
• Can we open the conversation at level one?
• What frame or door should we open to get the
  conversation started down a path that produces
  support for our policieseven in the face of
  opposition?
• Prime the conversation with the right level
  focusing on one or two ideas

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Message Points
Four Key Message Points
 Overview of Issue in Big Picture/Values Language

Summary of Specific Program
Why Action is Needed
Action Steps for Your Audience
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Example of a winning frame incorporating values

• Minimum Wage
• Part of the American Dream is that if you work
  hard and play by the rules you ought to be able
  to support yourself and your family. Its just
  not fair that the federal minimum wage has not
  been raised by Congress from its present 5.15 an
  hour in ten years. Meanwhile, Congress has raised
  its own salary seven times in the last decade.
• You cant even buy a quart of milk and a gallon
  of gasoline for 5.15 an hour. Its not right!  

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Competing Values

• In regards to low-wage work issues like health
  care -- we are talking about children of low-wage
  workers receiving health care first.
• Challenges because of certain values people
  hold regarding these issues
• each individual is responsible for his or her own
  success or failure
• with hard work comes reward
• the goal is equal opportunity, not equal outcomes
  
• anyone can achieve the American Dream

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The Power of Stories

• Storytelling is both an art and a science.
• Stories reflect and evoke core values and
  widely held beliefs.
• Storytelling has become the norm for most mass
  media. Reporters say I need to put a face on my
  story.

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Storytelling, A Blessing and a Curse

• Many stories about low-wage work issues,
  including childrens health care, focus on the
  plight of an individual child or the family of a
  young child.
• The Challenge Move the story from an article/TV
  or radio program about the individual to an
  article/TV or radio program about the systemic
  problem suggested by the individual story.
• Shift the frame of the story from the
  child/family to focus on systemic problems that
  cause children not to have health insurance.

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So, how do I proceed?

• start the discussion with a focus on values, not
  specific policies
• focus on the system, not the individual
• stress that health care decisions are not a
  force of nature made by accident. On the
  contrary, health care adjustments are very
  intentional
• and, when you use stories, focus on compelling
  stories that illustrate systemic problems and
  their solutions

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A Final Point

• involve key groups and individuals to achieve
  investment in the frame/message
• encourage feedback and comments
• make message dissemination a bottom up, rather
  than a top down process
• understand that there will be some pushback when
  you suggest that the message lead with a values
  statement

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Starting The Message Process on Childrens Health

• All children should have the tools to grow and
  flourish (value).
• The problem is that millions of children do not
  have access to adequate healthcare (the problem).
• We need to provide all children with adequate
  health care so they can grow and flourish( the
  solution).
• Therefore, we are urging the policymakers to.
  (the action).

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Critical Elements for Media Outreach

• Message development and framing
• Strong written materials in one page, ten pages,
  papers and books
• Reporter-friendly Web sites
• Local mainstream and new media
• Editorial and op-ed strategies
• Visuals and good television stories pitched to
  producers on a regular basis
• Radio strategy (AM and FM)
• Cultivate a reporter corps (with connections)
• Made-for-cable events and forums

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Tools of the Trade

• One-on-one relationships
• Press briefings and informal sessions
• Press conferences
• Press kits and written materials
• Editorial board meetings
• Op-ed pieces

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