Prevent Child Abuse Nebraska Public Awareness How-To Presentation

www.nebraskachildren.orgwww.nebraskachildren.org

Reframing the Reframing the Message:Message:

Communicating Effectively Communicating Effectively

with the Media and the with the Media and the

Public on Child Public on Child

MaltreatmentMaltreatment

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Overview Media’s Function in Society Reframing Research: Study of Past & Present Media Effects Recommendations for Change Media “Basic Training” Exercise!

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www.nebraskachildren.orgwww.nebraskachildren.orgMedia: What is its Role?

Provides political/policy info. to society Provides raw intelligence to policymakers Conveys public opinion Serves as a forum for debating policy alternatives Serves as a channel for intra-/intergovernmental

communication Checks government in a watchdog capacity Used in political showdowns (pawn/scapegoat)

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How Do Americans Get Their News?

Pew Media Research says:– Television (75%)– Daily newspapers (63%)– Radio (46%)– Internet (61%) (at least once per week)

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Media Effects “How the mass media psychologically influence

members of society into perceiving things in a certain way.”

Four types:– Agenda setting– Priming– Framing– Policy

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Agenda Setting The news media establish what are the MOST

salient policy matters facing society– Indirect: Influence the public’s opinion– Direct: Influence policymakers directly

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Priming The media “prime” the criteria that are used to

judge and evaluate government officials & politicians.– People simplify their understanding of others so that

they can make snap judgments.

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Policy Driving Media can influence and even DRIVE policy. Once, the ability for media to drive policy was called

“yellow journalism” – now called “CNN Effect.” Stories are emotionally charged – moving, painful

images, music and stirring interviews. Example: Somalia and starvation in 1992. Pres. Bush to the Pentagon: “I can’t watch this

anymore. We have to do something.”

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Reverse CNN Effect Sometimes emotionally-charged reports have

the opposite effect: they cause apathy/policy inaction.

Images from war in Iraq, Lebanon: “It’s just the way it is, always has been, always will be. There’s nothing anyone can do to fix this.”

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Framing How the media frames a political issue or

incident affects the way the public reacts to it. Robert Entman: To frame is to select some

aspects of a perceived reality and make them more salient in a communicating text…

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Example… Coverage of the Cold War:

– Couched in terms of communist forces, whether or not communism was a major force behind the strife.

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More on Framing… Stories are often framed as episodes/themes. Themes: the blame is attributed to government

policies, the economy… Episodes: Blame the individual (i.e. -- Crime

—is perpetrated by “bad people”, not societal factors).

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Reframing the Issue Over the past five years, child abuse

prevention experts have “sensed” a decrease in public interest on this issue.

Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA America), along with communication scholars, have evaluated the effects of media and public awareness messaging on the issue of child abuse and prevention.

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Reframing the Issue Meta-analyses: campaigns led by advocacy groups

such as PCA America and the Ad Council since the 1970s have been effective in raising awareness of the existence of child abuse and neglect in America by nearly 80 percentage points.

Advocacy campaigns and the media have not been effective in motivating the public-at-large to engage in prevention activities and behaviors.

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Reframing the Issue Traditional framing: adversely affected the

public’s response and had actually become a barrier to mobilizing efforts on individual, societal and policy levels.

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A Barrier? Media and public awareness campaigns have

traditionally emphasized the sensational, horrific nature of child abuse and neglect without providing balanced coverage of potential or promising solutions.

Public viewpoint: child abuse is perpetrated primarily by intentionally abusive parents and sexual predators, and is therefore not an issue that can be changed by mainstream individuals and families.

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Negative vs. Positive PCA America studied national TV and radio

coverage of from 1993-2002– Child abductions (667 stories) – Molestations (282 stories) – Prevention programs (67 stories)– Positive parenting (4 stories)

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Apathy The result of this imbalance is public apathy, in

which individuals feel powerless against such an overwhelming, prevalent problem that seemingly has no solutions.

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www.nebraskachildren.orgwww.nebraskachildren.orgStrategic Frame Analysis

2003-2004: PCA America, w/funding from Doris Duke Charitable Foundation

The FrameWorks Institute: Strategic frame analysis. Make connections between public perceptions and the

ways issues are presented and explained (or framed) in the mass media.

Once these connections are established and understood, communications professionals can develop new strategies to influence public thinking and behavior with messaging.

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Hypotheses The public thinks about child abuse and neglect in terms of

the most extreme and sensational cases, such as those that result in death or a shocking traumatic event. Similarly, neglect is seen more as a “child safety” issue, and is clearly not linked to abuse, which is seen as intentional.

While the public avoids criticizing parents and prefers not to be criticized or judged for their own parenting practices, they have little sympathy for abusive parents.

Most parents see “asking for help” as a weakness when it comes to parenting.

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Hypotheses People feel as though they have no power to affect

change on this issue, individually or systematically. While most people recognize that they have the

ability to report suspected abuse to authorities, they are reluctant to do so. Their reluctance is linked to a variety of factors, including fears of intruding on individual privacy and lack of trust in systems and officials.

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Results: April 2004 Report included findings from original and

previous studies by A. L. Mailman Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child at Brandeis University.

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Child Abuse and Global Warming?

In both cases, advocates have been effective in raising awareness, but will not be able to advance to engagement or policy change without implementing new messaging strategies.

Moreover, both efforts are likely to “lose ground” in the public agenda if more emphasis is not placed on possible solutions.

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Positive Achievements The public is concerned about child abuse and

neglect. Its concern and definition extends beyond physical

abuse and includes emotional abuse. People identify both abuse and neglect as types of

abuse. People believe abuse has lasting effects on children

and society. The public believes abuse is a common problem.

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Dominant Frames News coverage is predominantly framed as horrible,

criminal atrocities perpetrated by a “monstrous parent.” The public concludes that the root causes of child abuse lie

within individuals, not in external factors. Therefore, the only solution is to heighten distrust of others.

News coverage frequently attributes cause to the failure of child protective services. Rather than building a case for improving systems, this kind of messaging reinforces a widely held distrust in government, and promotes apathy rather than advocacy.

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Dominant Frames The news emphasizes stories of “bad people” or sexual

predators” who perpetrate child abuse, framing the issue as one of consumer safety.

People respond negatively to stories that judge parents’ child-rearing decisions, largely because they feel these stories violate the “Family Bubble” – the line between home/family privacy and government.

Americans generally misunderstand child development, believing that a child’s mind is like an adult’s mind, and benefits from punishment (called the “self-made child” frame.)

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www.nebraskachildren.orgwww.nebraskachildren.orgRecommendations for Reframing

Lead the communication or story with a strongly held value rather than “child abuse,” such as “children are the future,” “children deserve opportunities from the beginning.” This reframes the issue as one of societal rather than individual significance.

Outline solutions at the beginning of the story to promote the prevention concept and counteract public apathy on the issue.

Provide a clear definition of child abuse and neglect, being careful not to focus on an individual but on the ecological factors that can lead to these behaviors.

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Demonstrate how programs policies are working to benefit children whenever possible.

Avoid providing vivid, dramatic details of individual cases, which only reinforces the perception that child abuse is an individual problem perpetrated by criminals.

There is no need to keep restating the numbers of cases. Americans know the problem is prevalent, and the media often inflates or overstates the figures to make a point. In fact, there is no need to keep emphasizing the prevalence of the issue at this point—it is time to deepen the conversation on the issue, now that the agenda has been set.

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Emphasize and define neglect as the most common form of child abuse.

Increase coverage on the topic of child development to improve and deepen the public’s understanding.

Broaden the audience by having people other than parents to tell the story—have grandparents, program directors and relatives talk about the issue to break down the “Family Bubble” frame.

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Describe parenting as a learned skill for everyone, emphasizing that all parents need education to develop strong skills.

Be cautious in framing calls to action that require people to act in ways that make them uncomfortable (such as turning in friends and neighbors). These messages reinforce a common belief that there is no positive action a citizen can take against child abuse and neglect.

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Noticed Any Changes? Move from “Child Abuse Prevention” to

“Positive Parenting” Strengthening Families Born Learning Parenting Counts

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Still the Same?

Recent headlines:

“Sitter Arrested in Death of Toddler” “Child’s Death Spotlights Daycare Regulations”

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What Can We Do? Reframe OUR OWN messages to the public

and the media in particular Become a resource to your local media Learn how to handle questions, prepare talking

points, drive the right messages (both to the media and the public)

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But HOW?

Here’s a mini media bootcamp!

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www.nebraskachildren.orgwww.nebraskachildren.orgWhat you should know…

How to prepare for a media interview Recognize types of questions that could be difficult

to handle How best to answer media questions by media type Understand how to lead in an interview How to establish a trust relationship with all local

media (don’t wait until a crisis or when you need something)

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Prepare Don’t do the interview on-the-spot

– Get help, find out background, make talking points Understand your medium Will it be taped or live? How long will the interview be? When is the reporter’s deadline? What is this story about (angle)?

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www.nebraskachildren.orgwww.nebraskachildren.orgKnow your key messages

List them out:– A.– B.– C.

Add Supporting Messages– A.– B.– C.

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www.nebraskachildren.orgwww.nebraskachildren.orgKnow your key messages

List them out:– A. We need to let parents know it’s OK to ask for help– B. We have resources that can help parents– C. We help parents everyday—we want to help more and prevent

abusive behaviors and patterns Add Supporting Messages

– A. We need more support, including funding– B. We need to let more people know we’re here in the community– C. Our program has been recognized for its outstanding outcomes

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Prepare more! Anticipate: what are some of the

worst/toughest questions they could ask you? What will you say? How will you get them back

to your main points? Use your knowledge: Have some materials

ready that you can email to them to support their story (trust me…they’ll use it!)

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Know thy Media Type Newspaper/Internet—story will be longer, fact-filled,

permanent. Pass-along value. TV—stories are short and general (No more than

1:45. Reporters are on tight deadlines. 4 to 5 deadlines per day. Do lots of work in afternoons.

Radio—Very short (Unless you do a talk show interview). Average news story is :45. Deadlines all day long. Less emphasis on local stories.

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www.nebraskachildren.orgwww.nebraskachildren.orgCaution! Potentially Hazardous.

Speculative questions:

“IF this happened, what would you have done?”

“IF she is removed from the home, will she be better off?”

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www.nebraskachildren.orgwww.nebraskachildren.orgCaution! Potentially Hazardous.

Leading questions:

“Aren’t you irate about this?”

“Couldn’t they have done a better job assessing that situation?”

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Loaded questions:

“Neighbors in the area said they had a feeling something was going to happen…yet no one did anything about it. What is your opinion on that?”

Caution! Potentially Hazardous.

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Silence:

(This is the best way to get you to speak off your points…let them break the ice. Don’t start talking just to break an awkward moment. Speak, then stop.)


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Labeling:

“Is it fair to say that the system failed here?”


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Chummy:

“Just between you and me, what do you really think about the way this was handled?”

“Now that we’re done with the interview, tell me what you really think.”

“I just need a few more quotes for my story…what can you tell me about last week’s incident…”


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False statements:

“Since the home environment has been deemed unsafe, why not remove the children from the home now?”


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Some Ground Rules Think before you speak Speak naturally & avoid jargon Avoid double-negatives Always tell the truth Stop talking when you’re done! Keep in mind: TV and radio sound bytes average 7

seconds!

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7 Seconds Can you say it in seven seconds? Don’t give a long rambling intro that might contain

ideas that you DON’T want taken out of context. “Our organization has been going through a major

restructuring. We decided that we could improve our operations greatly. We has client satisfaction scores of 95% last year, and our community saw a 15% reduction in abuse cases. But, we still think we can do better.”

If you don’t like what you said, ask for another take.

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More Ground Rules Always bridge back to your key messages and keep

it on the positive: Q: Wasn’t your agency set up to prevent situations

like this? A: Our agency has been very successful in

reducing abuse cases in this community. We will benefit more and more people as awareness of our outstanding programs increases.

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A or B – Choose C Don’t let the reporter give you a choice between two

WRONG answers: Q: “Was this the fault of the parent or the state?” A: There are many factors that can lead to

incidents like this one. Often, the parent is lacking support and isn’t sure where to find resources, and is even afraid to ask for help.

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No Comment Never say: “No Comment!” Instead, explain why you can’t comment. “I really can’t comment on that until the case

has been thoroughly reviewed. This is our policy. It’s designed to protect our clients.”

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Establish Trust Get to know your local media. Let them know that you are a valuable, reliable

resource for community information. Write op-eds. Send them news releases.

Invite them to important events (Note: Important!)

Visit them, and send them “backgrounders.”

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Do Their Job Send information in an easy-to-copy-and-paste format. Send photos electronically (post them on a web site) Set up a little media center on your site with your news releases Do some Q and A sheets Charts are nice, sidebars are even better Send radio stations electronic sound bytes Send TV stations video clips Remind them that you are available to talk to them – offer to go

on live (radio or TV)

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Exercise! Your community has just had an unfortunate

string of abuse cases that are being highly publicized (Three cases in three months)

You are a prevention expert in your community, working at a local community-based family support agency

Newspaper wants to do an interview with you

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www.nebraskachildren.orgwww.nebraskachildren.orgFirst, YOU Ask Questions

A B C

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www.nebraskachildren.orgwww.nebraskachildren.orgDo you have time right now for a quick

interview? What’s your answer?

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Time for Key Messages Remember about Reframing!

– A– B– C– Anything else?

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Time to Interview Q: “What’s going on? Why are these things

happening? Is it because of our poor economy or the meth problem?

A:

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Time to Interview Q: What should the local government be doing

better? A:

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Time to Interview Q: How can your agency help? A:

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Time to Interview Q: Why is it that your agency doesn’t connect

with local law enforcement and come up with a plan?

A:

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Time to Interview Q: Is there anything else you want to say? A:

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Sources Media Power, Media Politics. Edited by Mark J. Rozell.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2003.

Media Training Presentation by Meg Lauerman, University of Nebraska. Presented at Lincoln AMA Spring Conference, 2005. www.lincolnama.com

PCA America: Reframing Child Abuse and Neglect for Increased Understanding and Engagement, http://member.preventchildabuse.org/site/PageServer?pagename=research_reports_and_surveys

Documents

Prevent Child Abuse Nebraska Public Awareness How-To Presentation