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Robert Shore

Public Safety: The Pictures in Their Heads

by Robert Shore February 21, 2013 Framing in the Field

Public Safety is finally starting to get the time it deserves in the public conversation; but with an issue so complex and fraught with controversy, it’s easy for messages to get swallowed in the “swamp” of cultural models. In partnership with the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice at Harvard University’s Law School [...]

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One Click Political Rhetoric

by Robert Shore March 7, 2012 Framing in the Field

Why frame when you can just hit “randomize” on the new Phrase Generator? If only it was that easy. In the case that you want to create a message that strategically orients people to your issue, FrameWorks can help. Check out our website to learn more.

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The Myth of Compassion Fatigue: Why Thematic Frames Are Essential

by Robert Shore February 13, 2012 Framer Reads the News

Brooke Gladstone recently wrote a blog post called “Combatting ‘Compassion Fatigue’ and Other Reporting Challenges.” In the post, Gladstone takes on the old problem that, in journalism, “one death is a tragedy,” and “a million deaths a statistic.” This is one of the oldest framing problems that there is — the choice between an episodic and a thematic [...]

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FrameWorks and America’s Digital Promise

by Robert Shore November 14, 2011 Framing in the Field

Digital media and learning is hot. Leading thinkers in the fields of education and digital media are pushing for a learning revolution in which highly effective and well-trained teachers act as mentors in student-centered learning environments. We at FrameWorks are doing plenty of learning ourselves on this issue –  and we’re practicing what the experts are [...]

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How Do Children’s Brains Develop? Dr. Jack Shonkoff on “Education Nation”

by Robert Shore October 6, 2011 Framing in the Field

Recently, NBC news sponsored an initiative to engage the country in a solutions-focused conversation about the state of education in America called “Education Nation.” Needless to say, FrameWorks has been paying close attention. In more than two years of research in the field, on how Americans think about education, we’ve seen the good, the bad, [...]

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Framing Budgets and Taxes: Elizabeth Warren Gets It Right

by Robert Shore September 26, 2011 Framing in the Field

Elizabeth Warren has made a big name for herself in a relatively short time. She understands complex social issues and communicates this understanding to the public using simple language and a reasonable tone. Now, she’s using her expert communication skills to strengthen her bid for a U.S. senate seat in Massachusetts in 2012. Recently, on [...]

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Visual Framing: Getting People Into the Picture

by Robert Shore July 20, 2011 Visual Framing

How can we use visuals to enhance the effectiveness of our communications on social issues? A couple of well-chosen photos can really help make your communications more engaging. Whether it’s a brochure, a blog post, a print ad, or a PSA, visuals can actually help people think about your issue more easily. However, it’s important to [...]

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This Diner Is Not a Diner: Visual Framing

by Robert Shore April 28, 2011 Framer Reads the News

Riding the DC metro the other day, I noticed a new “in house” metro ad campaign. The campaign is a call to keep the metro clean. The copy at the top of the ad says, “This is not a diner.” Below is an image of a metro train made to look like a 1950s-style diner. [...]

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Framer Reads the News: Complicating Issues of Budgets and Taxes

by Robert Shore April 12, 2011 Framer Reads the News

FrameWorks senior researcher Eric Lindland recently stumbled upon this advertisement in a local DC newspaper. What’s the problem we want to solve? The imminent destruction of the planet. As strategic framers, we know that using crisis to get the public interested in your issue will generally backfire. Crisis as a frame can encourage a sense of helplessness. In [...]

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The Science News Cycle

by Robert Shore September 9, 2010 Framer Reads the News

I recently found this comic strip on a website called phdcomics.com. I thought it effectively and humorously conveyed the often-problematic evolution of a science story as it filters through the news cycle. When scientific translation goes wrong, data, conditions, and conclusions get truncated into news stories; news stories are reduced to headlines and talking points in the [...]

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