Healthy Eating in the News
In the latest issue of Ecology of Food and Nutrition, researchers explore how US television news reports present beverage nutrition information. They find that almost 1/3 of news reports on healthy eating were confusing, inconsistent or unclear with their nutrition recommendations. Health advocates out there, listen up: news media more often than not reports on nutrition as an individual concern as opposed to a public policy issue. It’s time to re-frame the conversation.
Advocacy in Mass Media—With a Side of Histrionics
Like many of you (though you may be reluctant to admit it), we love our telenovelas. We like ‘em flashy, over the top, and with a social message. Soaps tend to be some of the most watched television shows in the developing world; but as The New York Times’ Sarika Bansal writes, they also have the potential to be vehicles for mass social change on issues such as adult literacy, HIV/AIDS prevention, and reproductive health/family planning. Groups like Population Media Center have known this for years, but there is room for lots more efforts to tap into this growing phenomenon.
Gender Equality & Human Rights
UN Women and the Sri Lanka Evaluation Association recently published “Reflecting on Gender Equality and Human Rights in Evaluation,” a collection of four reports on ways evaluators can account for both gender equality and human rights concerns in their work. Filled with case studies, insightful models, and diverse suggestions, this publication is contributing to a necessary discussion within the evaluation field about working with vulnerable populations.
