National Conversation Research Articles

A sociology of bullying: Placing youth aggression in social context

AbstractIn this paper we review the sociological literature on peer aggression among adolescents and demonstrate how it can form the basis of a new subfield in sociology on the subject of bullying. Although sociologists have mostly avoided the term bullying in classic works on adolescent aggression, these studies suggest that institutional social control, status hierarchies and social inequalities provide important social context for youth aggression. While historically they have not been in dialog with each other, when taken together sociological research on youth status relations and social networks, systemic bias, school culture and social ecology can lay the foundation of a sociology of bullying. We suggest that if sociologists see this work as shedding light on issues of bullying, they can begin to play a larger role in the shaping of the national conversation on bullying and influence anti‐bullying programs in schools to take better account of the social dimensions of bullying.

Black women married to White men: What the women see as the challenges

ABSTRACT With interracial marriages on the rise, a need exists to learn more about what challenges spouses in these marriages may face, especially during a period of U.S. history when race is increaingly becoming a part of the national conversation following the election of Donald Trump and the 2020 protests. While marriages between Asians, Blacks, Latinx populations, and Whites have all increased, Black-White marriages, in particular, have been in the crucible given the legacy of U.S. enslavement with Whites dominating Blacks as well as the 1967 Loving v. Virginia Supreme Court ruling related to a Black woman married to a White man. This article, based on qualitative interviews with 14 Black women married to White men, offers five themes that emerged from these interviews. These themes are: dealing with in-laws; negativity from outsiders; perspective taking and exhaustion; the impact of current events; and defining Blackness. Black Idenity Development is used as a theoretical framework.

The Association of Minority Health Professions Schools.

The Association of Minority Health Professions Schools David Chanoff, PhD (bio), Louis Wade Sullivan, MD (bio), and Ronny Lancaster, JD, MBA (bio) Disparities in health care between minority and mainstream Americans go back well beyond the beginning of formal record-keeping on race differences in morbidity and mortality. One reason that stands out historically for the still disconcerting state of Black health is the relative paucity of Black physicians and other health professionals. A hundred plus years ago there were shockingly few Black doctors attempting to care for a large, mostly rural Black population, and though the country's Black community today is far different from what it was at the turn of the 20th century, there is still a marked lack of African American physicians, dentists, and pharmacists and still alarming disparities. Another reason is that as recently as the 1980s the mainstream health establishment turned a blind eye to the whole subject of disparate care, which precluded the development of ameliorative policies and practices. In the late 1970s four predominantly Black health professions schools (Meharry Medical College, Morehouse School of Medicine, Xavier College of Pharmacy, and Tuskegee School of Veterinary Science) banded together as the Association of Minority Health Professions Schools (AMHPS) in order to find desperately needed resources to keep themselves alive and grow their capacity to train Black health professionals. For a tiny lobbying group composed of financially precarious institutions they were, over time, astonishingly successful at creating and bringing to fruition legislation that strengthened themselves, the sister minority schools that joined them along the way, as well as traditionally White health institutions that served impoverished and medically neglected populations. In the process AMHPS brought the existence of health inequities to national attention and precipitated the creation of NIH's Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. This commentary highlights the story of this obscure association, how it brought essential resources to the development of minority medicine, and how it triggered a nation's engagement with the devastating consequences of inequitable health care. ________ [End Page 1] Three quarters of a century before the creation of AMHPS the national conversation was not about the problem of health disparities and how to ameliorate them, it was on the coming extinction of the Black race. "Black people have a race proclivity to disaster and death," wrote Frederick Hoffman, the leading statistician of the early 20th century, an irrefutable conclusion he believed, based on objective and exhaustive research and analysis of the available data. African Americans were, simply put, biologically inferior to Whites, and their inferiority was leading them inevitably down the road of racial collapse. "The Indian is on the verge of extinction," he wrote, "… the African will surely follow him."1 That was the conclusion of Hoffman's comprehensive study, The Race Traits and Tendencies of the American Negro, published in 1896 by the authoritative Journal of the American Economic Association, which gave his words credibility as an accurate scientific determination. Hoffman's extinction argument dominated the racial discussion of his day and propelled him to international prominence. Hoffman had his critics, including famed Black sociologist and historian W.E.B Du Bois, who pointed to the flaws in Hoffman's study: his lack of data on similarly impoverished White groups who were clearly not in a state of racial collapse and his failure to account for the ravages occasioned by social determinants such as poor nutrition, inadequate housing, subpar education, and the absence of medical care, which caused the disastrous morbidity and mortality numbers—though even numbers so appalling did not indicate an inevitable slide into extinction.2 Hoffman responded to Du Bois with certainty: "It is not in the conditions of life," he wrote, "but in the race traits and tendencies that we find the cause of excessive mortality."3 Time proved Hoffman's extinction thesis a myth. African Americans did not die out. The 1910 census found that the 8.8 million African Americans counted in 1900 had grown in 10 years to 9.8 million, an increase of 11%. But although African Americans were not doomed to extinction, the numbers Hoffman had based his calculations on were not by themselves misleading. It was...

Amaka Okechukwu. To Fulfill These Rights: Political Struggle Over Affirmative Action and Open Admissions.

Universities are highly visible sites that have traditionally defined “diversity” in public discourse and, as Amaka Okechukwu argues, served as standard-bearers for national conversations, debates, and political decisions around racial discrimination. To Fulfill These Rights: Political Struggle Over Affirmative Action and Open Admissions offers a detailed and nuanced account of the actions behind key policy decisions that have shaped ethnic and racial diversity in US higher education in recent decades. A wave of protests swept across university campuses in 2014 and 2015. Student protestors, and sometimes faculty, on US campuses advocated for greater representation of marginalized groups in the student body, on faculty, and in higher levels of university administration. These protests stretched across the United States and beyond to the United Kingdom and South Africa under the banner #RhodesMustFall. As Angus Johnston documents in a detailed online time line and map of these events, this wave of protests entwined an array of student concerns over university mismanagement of sexual assault and harassment cases, anger over the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, fears around racist campus policing, and student protests against tuition hikes, among others. The protests raised questions about university authority and the intentions of those on the boards of trustees. This is where Okechukwu’s book begins. Through meticulous archival research, we gain a nuanced view of the actions that have thwarted fair access to higher education despite decades of mobilization.

Playing Politics with Natural Disaster: Hurricane Agnes, the 1972 Election, and the Origins of FEMA

Playing Politics with Natural Disaster: Hurricane Agnes, the 1972 Election, and the Origins of FEMA

Examining Racial and Ethnic Disparity in Prosecutor's Bail Requests and Downstream Decision-making.

Although research into prosecutorial and judicial decision-making has been conducted for the past three decades, a great deal still remains unknown. Most research focuses on the 'back end' of the adjudication process, leaving decision points prior to the final phases unanalyzed. Drawing on unique data from the New York County District Attorney's Office that tracks 43,971 felony complaints, this research explores racial and ethnic disparity at multiple decision points during case processing, with a focus on the prosecutor's initial bail request. A combination of regression modeling and path analysis were applied, revealing that the effects of race and ethnicity vary by decision point. Black defendants demonstrated increased bail requests and likelihood of indictment. However, together with Latino defendants, they were less likely to be detained prior to trial compared with White defendants. Despite identifying a mix of positive and negative cumulative effects, we found significant indirect effects of black defendants via bail request that contribute to the unwarranted racial disparities in both pre-trial detention and indictment outcomes. Insights gleaned from this research help prosecutors understand how their initial actions influence final outcomes, as well as contributing to the national conversation on the use of cash bail.

The Problematic Structure of Indigent Defense Delivery

The national conversation about criminal justice reform largely ignores the critical need for structural reforms in the provision of indigent defense. In most parts of the country, decisions about how to structure the provision of indigent defense are made at the local level, resulting in a fragmented patchwork of different indigent defense delivery systems. In most counties, if an indigent criminal defendant gets representation at all, it comes from assigned counsel or flat-fee contract lawyers rather than public defenders. In those assigned-counsel and flat-fee contract systems, the lawyers representing indigent defendants have financial incentives to get rid of assigned criminal cases as quickly as possible. Those incentives fuel mass incarceration because the lawyers put less time into each case than their public defender counterparts and achieve poorer outcomes for their clients. Moreover, empirical research shows that assigned-counsel and flat-fee contract systems are economically more costly to the public fisc than public defender systems. This Article collects data from across the country to show how prevalent assigned- counsel and contract systems remain, explains why arguments in favor of substantial reliance on the private bar to provide for indigent defense are outdated, argues that more states need to move toward state-structured public defender models, and outlines how it is politically possible for stakeholders to get there.

Abstract B091: Introduction of Implicit Bias Training to oncology faculty as a means to improve minority participation in cancer clinical trials

Abstract Background: Following George Floyd’s murder in May 2020, conversations about equity and bias became part of our daily national conversation. Simultaneously the COVID-19 outbreak disproportionately affected people of color which further illuminated existing disparities in outcomes. Bias training was introduced in many sectors as a strategy to address inequity. Inclusivity in healthcare is essential to develop evidence-based therapies and treatment plans. Previous studies have demonstrated the consequences when racial and ethnic minorities are excluded from research. (Hamel et al, 2016). Racial and ethnic minorities disproportionately bear adverse outcomes from cancer. Cancer clinical trials would benefit from solutions to promote inclusivity. (Khan et al. 2021) Research Purpose: The purpose of our study was to assess whether Implicit Bias Training can increase minority participation in cancer clinical trials. Methodology: The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offered Implicit Bias Training to all clinical oncologists at the Yale Cancer Center (YCC) between May and July 2021. While 109 physicians were eligible to participate, 57 physicians were required by the department to complete this training, and 84% of these physicians completed this opportunity. We analyzed YCC clinical trial enrollment data between two time periods defined as pre-intervention and post-intervention. We selected these periods to investigate not only the efficacy of bias training but specifically bias training as an adjunct to the national conversation during the time of our study. We selected the preintervention period as January 1, 2021, to June 30, 2021. The intervention was designed to be completed by July 1, 2021 therefore the post-intervention period is defined as July 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021. Results/Summary: Our analysis showed an increase of 2.5% in the participation of Black/African American patients. There was a slight (1.5%) decrease in Hispanic patient enrollment during this time. Conclusion: Our analysis suggested that implicit bias training delivered once had only a very modest, if any, improvement in racial minority participation in cancer clinical trials. Our project focused on participation by Black/African American patients. The impediment to Hispanic participation is quite nuanced. Hispanic patients, many of whom are non-English speaking with immigration/insurance issues face additional structural barriers. We think that a different strategy is needed to better serve this patient population. While we had hoped for metrics to demonstrate greater impact from bias training, our next investigation will look at if the intervention is best delivered repeatedly. Future Work: We have not abandoned the strategy of bias training to build trust and increase Black/AA participation. After the intervention, we are interested in whether greater impact is seen over time. We have designed a survey to look at the effects of the intervention after a year. Our next step is to examine whether repeated delivery of this intervention will amplify our results. Citation Format: Renee Taylor, Andrea Silber. Introduction of Implicit Bias Training to oncology faculty as a means to improve minority participation in cancer clinical trials [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 15th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2022 Sep 16-19; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr B091.

New Directions for Canadian Cultural Policy

Over the last two years of the pandemic, the arts, culture and heritage sectors have experienced unique challenges. These sectors have been amongst those hit hardest and longest by the COVID-19 pandemic. This has not only affected their economic viability but also their relationship with the public, whose interests, expectations, access and behaviours have shifted dramatically over the last two years. The pandemic accelerated a shift already underway in Canadian society. Polarization, disinformation, an unequal set of rules for the foreign online broadcasters and social media companies challenge social cohesion in Canada. This reality, combined with growing awareness of systemic racism and a greater acceptance of the need to confront the climate crisis have created a need to reimagine policies, principles, and practices to ensure continued long-term, sustainable growth, competitiveness, and vitality of the arts, culture, and heritage sectors in Canada. Canada’s arts, culture and heritage sectors play a fundamental role in building a stronger, more cohesive and resilient society. These sectors are not only significant economic drivers but they also contribute to Canada’s identity and social fabric. They help Canadians create meaning and forge a stronger shared identity based on shared values. However, to achieve these beneficial effects, there needs to be a renewed and shared understanding of these sectors’ fundamental roles and value. The Government of Canada convened the National Culture Summit: The Future of Arts, Culture and Heritage in Canada to help these sectors recover and thrive as well as mobilized these sectors around positive economic and social outcomes for Canada and discussed ways to support their own recovery and long-term growth and competitiveness. The Summit brought together leaders from across the country from these sectors for a national conversation on resilience, sustainability and transformation of the arts, culture and heritage sectors in Canada. The summit’s four themes were: •Promoting long-term competitiveness and growth; •The return of visitors and engaging new audiences; •The role of digital platforms in arts, culture and heritage sectors; and •The contribution of cultural sectors to reconciliation, combatting climate change and building an open and more inclusive society.

Impact of “Black Race” Coefficient in Estimation of Glomerular Filtration Rate on Our Community and Medical Education

Introduction: The use of race in estimation of glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) started a critical national conversation on numerous areas of medicine touched by racism; with a call for removal of race from calculation of eGFR. We scrutinized use of “Black race” coefficient in Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) eGFR calculation and consequence of its use on our local community in SW Michigan. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of de-identified electronic health record data from routine outpatient primary care visits, from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2019, included variables such as age, race, gender, serum creatinine levels, and calculated eGFRs (if any), using χ2 tests for association and Wald-approximation 95% confidence interval. During the data collection period in 2019, both hospital systems and the outpatient clinic site were all using MDRD. Results: eGFR and associated CKD stage were calculated for 131,863 patients. χ2 tests found significant differences in rates of CKD stages 3, 4, and 5 between “Black” and “not Black.” And, the 95% confidence interval for the proportion of Black patients who would advance to the next stage of CKD upon ignoring “Black race” (using Wald-approximated confidence interval for binomial proportion) is between 41.1% and 43.0%. Discussion: The eGFR calculations which place Black patients in lower CKD stages initially may deprive them of important treatment and referral early in their disease course. Removal of the Black race coefficient allows for referral to a nephrologist, Medicare coverage, and the potential need for transplant and/or dialysis. Conclusion: Our analysis demonstrates the impact removal of “black race” coefficient from MDRD eGFR calculation could have on our community.

Pocket Police: The Plain Feel Doctrine Thirty Years Later

The idea that a police officer can park in a low-income neighborhood, pull someone over because of their race, frisk everyone in the car, let them go if their pockets are empty, and do the whole thing over and over again until the officer finds something illegal seems deeply upsetting and violative, to say the least. And yet, pretextual traffic stops are constitutional per a unanimous Supreme Court in Whren v. United States, 517 U.S. 806 (1996), as is seizing obvious contraband during a frisk per Minnesota v. Dickerson, 508 U.S. 366 (1993). In the thirty years since these cases were decided, their disproportionate impact on minority communities has become clear, and yet courts have struggled to place meaningful limits on officer discretion. Amid the growing national conversation on police practices, this Note analyzes the role of Dickerson’s plain feel doctrine, which permits an officer to seize contraband during a frisk so long as the illicit nature of the item is immediately apparent upon “plain feel.” First, it reviews the doctrine as it was established in Dickerson and traces its roots to understand the rationale behind the ruling. Second, it identifies the key factors state and federal courts consider when applying Dickerson and demonstrates that courts presented with similar facts routinely come to conflicting conclusions. Third, this Note assesses the ways modern plain feel doctrine is in tension with core Fourth Amendment principles and argues that, in the thirty years since Dickerson, it has quietly become an ever-broadening loophole enabling the ongoing targeting of minority populations. As calls to address inequitable policing grow louder, the plain feel doctrine is a crucial site for reform.

The impact of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Future of Nursing Scholars Program on scholars, schools and nursing science

BackgroundThe Future of Nursing Scholars program prepared a cadre of PhD prepared nurses for long-term careers advancing science and discovery, strengthening nursing education, and leading transformational change in health care. PurposeThe purpose of this manuscript was to describe the program's impact on Scholars’ outcomes, nursing schools, and perceived impact on nursing science. MethodsAn independent program evaluation was conducted, including interviewing representatives from schools and reviewing Scholars’ Curriculum Vitae. FindingsTwo hundred one scholars were supported across 45 institutions. To date, 181 scholars graduated within 3.1 years, on average. Most graduates reported holding appointments in academic institutions. School representatives believed the program supported rapid entry into the field, longer research trajectories, and will improve the nursing faculty pipeline. DiscussionThe program achieved its goal of developing cohorts of PhD prepared nurses poised for long-term careers. It provided “proof of concept” on high-quality accelerated PhD education for students well matched with mentors, and elevated the national conversation on PhD education.

The Sociology of Bullying: Power, Status and Aggression Among Adolescents by ChristopherDonoghue (ed), New York: New York University Press, 2022, ISBN 9781479803903, 344 pp, $30.00 (pb)

In The Sociology of Bullying Power, Status and Aggression Among Adolescents, Christopher Donoghue brings together scholars within the field of sociology of bullying to show the advantage of incorporating sociological approaches for understanding bullying. The sociological approaches bring new questions and understandings and show the complex interplay of various processes, layers and factors that needs to be accounted for when approaching bullying. The advantage of incorporating sociological perspectives is clearly shown as the book offers both empirical examples and theoretical insights. While the book does not argue that sociology is better than psychology, it stands clear after reading the book that narrow individualistic views on bullying does no longer hold as bullying is a complex phenomenon. The content of the book is organized into 15 chapters. Some chapters are more theoretically oriented whereas others include both empirical and theoretical aspects. While every chapter addresses one key topic in more detail, more than one aspect can also be covered in one chapter. A broad division of the key topics can be outlined in the following way: Definitions and how to methodologically approach bullying (Chapters 1, 2, 4, 5, 8); The role of status in bullying (Chapters 3, 7, 8); Homophobic and gendered norms and how they are executed through bullying practices (Chapters 4, 5, 6); Social difference in bullying (Chapter 9); Interactionist perspectives addressing how peer and school cultures matter in bullying (Chapters 10, 11); A sociological lens on anti-bullying programmes or “when anti-bullying programmes meet peer and school cultures” (Chapters 6, 11, 12, 13), and; A discussion on the psychological perspective on bullying (Chapters 14, 15). Some chapters stand alone, offering a crucial contribution on its own. Other chapters are set in dialogue with each other showing the complexity, different layers and the importance of the context. For instance, status is viewed as crucial in bullying (Chapter 3) but aiming for higher status might decrease over time (Chapter 7). Status processes can also be associated with bullying taking place among friends (Chapter 8). Likewise, in a review of prevention and intervention programmes (Chapter 12), we get an overview of what works in practice. However, we also discover that future anti-bullying work needs to consider culture and various microprocesses (Chapters 11, 12, 13) as they affect bullying and anti-bullying work. There is also a discussion on the psychological perspective on bullying from various positions (Chapters 14, 15). This book is thoroughly written and provides great insight into the sociology of bullying. It offers a range of key topics, perspectives and concepts on how our culture contributes to bullying. Perhaps the reader is a little left alone in guiding themselves among these different layers and approaches. On the other hand, showing the palette of approaches and considerations increases the need for exploration through empirical questions (Chapter 2) on what is going on in the context. In that way, the book does not prescribe a new dominant view but rather increases the urgent need for sociological approaches in bullying work. Although the book aims to shift the North American/US national conversation on bullying, sociological perspectives are also needed – and used – elsewhere in the world. Maybe there could have been an outlook and dialogue with international scholarship in this area. This book is not only useful for researchers within the field of school bullying but also for scholars, policymakers and educators dealing with anti-bullying work and policies. Camilla Forsberg is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning at Linköping University, Sweden. Her research has focused on childrens's perspectives on bullying, how identity processes and social categories are related to bullying and more recently school level factors and school climate in general.

Inclusivity in Leader Selection: An 8-Step Process to Promote Representation of Women and Racial/Ethnic Minorities in Leadership.

At a systemic level, organizations need to take intentional steps to build inclusion, equity, and diversity at all levels. In accordance with this need, organizations have been catalyzed by national conversations surrounding gender and racial/ethnic discrimination to generate sustainable change that addresses the disenfranchisement of women and racial/ethnic minorities. Although progress toward addressing the systemic issues that perpetuate these inequities has been made in recent years, research indicates that underrepresentation at the leadership level persists in academic medicine. Further, those in more senior roles are more likely to select, sponsor, and/or mentor individuals like themselves, thereby depriving minority populations of experiences directly correlated with career development and advancement. Hence, the authors posit a focus on the characteristics and competencies of a leader along with a structured selection process is an effective intervention to reduce bias and support inclusion by recalibrating the representation of leadership within academic medical centers. To this end, the authors developed a sequential 8-step leader selection process informed by their model of leadership characteristics and competencies. This process includes a policy update, selection of interview panels, training of panelists, screening the candidate pool, structured interview guides, final candidate slates, assessments of final candidates, and development of newly selected leaders. By following this process, the authors' organization has seen an increase in the representation of women and racial/ethnic minority leaders, an increase in employees' favorable perceptions specific to representation, and data indicative of developing and maintaining an internal diverse leadership candidate pipeline. Ultimately, inclusion makes stronger and more resilient organizations. By following a standardized process grounded in leadership characteristics and competencies, academic medical centers can see changes in their leadership that mirror the populations they lead and serve. Using such processes can lead to the kind of systemic change needed to create inclusive environments.

"NO TIME TO OVERTHINK IT, JUST DO IT'': AREA AGENCIES ON AGING AND INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Abstract AAAs have always been deeply engaged in addressing the health-related social needs of older adults from historically marginalized and underserved communities. As a confluence of COVID and social injustices moved issues of racial equity and inclusion to the forefront of national conversation, AAAs refocused their efforts to identify and address health inequities related to the social determinants of health (SDOH). One result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the urgency to reach and vaccinate older adults was that AAAs quickly formed new partnerships with culturally specific organizations. These relationships have developed and resulted in expanding culturally responsive service delivery. Presenters will describe this and other findings from a mixed methods study about AAA initiatives that seek to improve access and equity, such as inclusive community needs assessments, equity analyses that leverage census data to identify areas of greatest SDOH disparities, and dashboards to compare service recipients with community demographics.

Advocacy for Health Justice: An Innovative Pilot Course for MD and Master of Public Policy Students

Problem : U.S. medical schools are searching for ways to address issues of health justice in undergraduate medical education. Physicians have not typically received training in how to be effective advocates for systemic change and individuals in policy fields are not usually equipped to understand the complex issues of health science and their intersection with the health system and society. To address this gap, medical school faculty partnered with school of public policy faculty on a collaborative learning model that engaged MD and Master of Public Policy students together to strengthen their collective knowledge of the healthcare landscape, and to build skills to work for health justice. Intervention: We hypothesized that pairing medical students with public policy students to learn about the intersections of health justice and advocacy could enhance the efficacy of each group and provide a new model of collaboration between medical and policy professionals. The students collaborated on a health justice advocacy project through which they provided consultation to an established community organization. Context : The 8-week course took place in the spring of 2021 in Los Angeles, California. Due to Covid-19 the course was taught online and included asynchronous learning modules and live Zoom sessions. The project also served as a pilot for the post-clerkship phase of a new longitudinal health justice curriculum for MD students that launched in August 2021. Impact : Analysis of student work products, course evaluations, partner interviews, and student focus groups showed that students valued learning through their interdisciplinary collaborative work which gave them new perspectives on health justice issues. The community partners indicated that the students consultative work products were useful for their initiatives, and that they found working with MD and MPP students to be a valuable way to think about how to build stronger and more inclusive coalitions to advocate for health justice. This project has the potential for national impact as it aligns with the Association of American Medical Colleges’ renewed focus on the responsibility of academic medicine to partner with communities for health justice. The project also contributed to the national conversation on how to align health systems science education with the aims of health justice through our participation in the American Medical Association Accelerating Change in Medical Education Consortium. Lessons Learned : Leveraging faculty relationships with community partners was crucial for developing meaningful projects for students. Cultivating and expanding community partner networks is necessary to sustain and scale up this type of intervention. Centering the needs of communities and supporting their on-going work for health justice is essential for becoming an effective advocate. Learning communities that bring interdisciplinary students, healthcare providers, policy professionals, and community partners together to learn from one another can create key opportunities for ameliorating health inequities.

An Urgent Legacy

The US House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol hearings were the must-see TV of the summer of 2022. FQ columnist Caetlin Benson-Allott argues that the hearings’ compositional form and ideological structures dramatized the differences between televisual liveness and live streaming (i.e., videos created, distributed, and received concurrently online). The Select Committee hearings affirmed television’s cultural significance: they upheld television as the medium for national conversations and, through their invocation of historic television formulas and ideologies of liveness, marked television as a legacy medium whose very datedness bestows a certain gravitas on its contents. In so doing, the hearings reasserted both the Select Committee’s power and the power of television.

Medical Assistance in Dying: A Review of Related Canadian News Media Texts

Medical assistance in dying (MAiD) was legalized in Canada in 2016. Canadians’ opinions on the service are nuanced, particularly as the legislation changes over time. In this paper, we outline findings from our review of representations of MAiD in Canadian news media texts since its legalization. These stories reflect the concerns, priorities, and experiences of key stakeholders and function pedagogically, shaping public opinion about MAiD. We discuss this review of Canadian news media on MAiD, provide examples of four key themes we identified (vulnerability, autonomy, dignity, and human rights), and discuss their implications for health policy and equity. Though key stakeholders share the values of autonomy, dignity, and human rights, they appeal to them in diverse ways, sometimes with conflicting policy demands. These representations offer a useful gauge of how views about MAiD continue to shift alongside changes in federal legislation. These stories can influence related policies, respond to the powerful voices that shape MAiD legislation, and have the potential to change national conversations. Our analysis adds to the existing body of scholarship on MAiD by examining post-Bill C-7 news media, identifying related health equity issues and tensions, and discussing potential impacts of MAiD’s representations in news media.

Public health education to change the global health conversation

Population health is driven by the forces in the world around us. Those forces, in turn, are determined by a national and global conversation about priorities and values. This highlights the challenges public health faces to achieve its broader aspirations. The long-drawn national and global debates about what to prioritize and how collective resources should be invested are influenced, both positively and negatively, by a wide variety of factors. Political considerations about where resources should be deployed and who benefits from them and who does not, are a central part of any national or global conversation. Similarly, commercial stakeholders have a particular and legitimate interest in a broader conversational environment, given the impact this topic can have on their commercial viability. Additionally, broader public conversations depend on the millions of small-scale conversations at the proverbial kitchen table that, together, lead to change and form the national and global consensus. This essay establishes the need to catalize, on small and large scales, the underpinnings of public health on an ongoing basis.

Analisis Kritis Pemberitaan Pemaksaan Pengunaan Jilbab bagi Siswi Non Muslim SMKN 2 Padang di Metro TV

The news about the “forced” hijab for non-Muslim students at SMKN 2 Padang was crowded and became a national conversation. The mass media examines it from various sides with different emphases and approaches, one of which is the national media Metro TV. This study aims to see the construction and discourse built by Metro TV news that raised the case using the Critical Discourse Analysis, Teun van Dijk. The method used is descriptive qualitative with a critical paradigm. The study results show that Metro TV news considers the case part of intolerance, so the existing rules must be revised. The power used by Metro TV through the media channels is used to present two sources with different views. However, questions and conveying Metro TV's opinions led to the agreement that this case was part of the error in the regulations of the local government and the school.Keywords: Critical discourse analysis, Teun A. Van Dijk, corruption news discourse