Its mission is to aid public health professionals and community groups to claim the power of the media. The primary approach is media advocacy, the strategic use of mass media to create pressure for social change. BMSG works to provide diverse groups with the skills to access the news media, frame health problems in a social context, and advance healthy public policy. This means understanding how news, entertainment, and advertising present health and social issues. The Group monitors the media, studies the process of news gathering, and analyzes media content.
Research is designed to support media advocacy training and education.
Lori Dorfman, Dr. Every cancer diagnosed in California is required by law to be reported to the Department of Health Services, which is responsible for the registry. The CCR and regional registries also provide information on cancer incidence to local health professionals, educators, legislators, and other residents of the region. In addition, the CCR is an important source of information for cancer researchers. William Wright, Ph.D., Cancer Surveillance Section, California Department of Health Services.