Media Task - Policy Brief and Media Advocacy Plan

Policy Brief and Media Advocacy Plan – Media Task

References:

published after 2010, using the Harvard method both in-text and in the reference list (minimum 10 clearly linked sources)

Description:

Assessment question: Focus on a public health issue that you believe could benefit from policy change or reform

Health issue:

Decreasing tobacco smoking among adolescent Australians to decrease COPD prevalence. Globally, tobacco smoking is one of the leading causes of non-communicable diseases as cancers, hypertension, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. As smoking is the main cause of developing COPD, discouraging people from smoking initiation or continuation is the first line of treatment to prevent the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or to prevent it from progressing at a fast rate.

Part 1 - Policy Briefs:

Put together a policy brief (Chap.6 textbook) which advocates for change in relation to your identified health issue.

Part 2 - Media Advocacy Plan:

Describe a plan for using media vehicles to gain public support for your ideas (Chap.8 textbook: Media vehicles, platforms and channels of public health communication). For part 2, write about the Media Advocacy Plan on one page then have a table that uses a Gantt chart.

Note: Be sure to consider the difference between public health advocacy/communication) as per your policy brief)

Your focus should NOT BE ON public health education for this assessment. You are focusing on influencing policy and social change 

The outcome is expected to result in a policy/structural change to support individual behavior change - as in Assessment 2 Part 1 - Policy Brief.

Marking criteria:

1. 1. Clarity of the policy brief and strength of evidence presented (8marks)
   2. Strength of the argument and persuasive language (6 marks)
   3. Relevance of and rationale for media plan and stakeholder choice (8 marks)
   4. Clarity and presentation of the assessment (4 marks)

• Referencing (4 marks)

Subject Learning Outcomes Assessed:

Use public health communication skills to advocate for efficient and equitable gains in health outcomes.

Note: 

There is not a specific structure - we are not being prescriptive, but you should use the resources on the workbook and also look for yourself to find other examples which may be useful for you. While you dont need a heading 'executive summary' - there should be a paragraph at the start of the policy which provides the overall aims and a short summary of the brief.

Use similar formats to the exemplars - double check the guidelines in the subject outline - you need to write a policy brief, so definitetly do not use essay format.

This assessment is designed to teach you how to write and pitch in a policy brief. I am hoping this skill will be used in your career. It is different to writing an essay.