"We Have to Move Quickly to Cement This Willingness for Change": News Narratives About Declarations of Racism as a Public Health Crisis, 2019-2021.

Abstract

Objective: To understand how declarations of racism as a public health crisis were portrayed in the news from 2019 to 2021.

Methods: We assessed a national sample of articles (n = 127) to see how declarations of racism as a public health crisis were characterized in the news.

Results: Coverage skyrocketed in June 2020 with 800 articles in that month alone, many of which mentioned systemic or structural racism (43% of articles). Government speakers were quoted in 90% of articles while community voices only appeared in 24% of articles.

Discussion: Narratives that center the causes of structural and systemic racism can help inform the public about the health harms of racism and can also report on solutions to achieve health and racial equity that could influence policymakers and the public.

Health equity implications: Those proposing new declarations should make concerted efforts to ensure that these declarations generate news coverage, without relying on acts of violence against Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. Public health practitioners, advocates, and officials should center communities most impacted and help them in creating a system that addresses racial and health inequities.