USA Today features our Playbook for Abortion Rights

Posted on June 20, 2019

Progressives Borrow Strategy… In the raging legislative battle over women’s reproductive rights, progressive groups have turned to a tactic that for years has helped spread anti-abortion measures – model legislation… In many ways, the...

Internet Privacy, Crime Rate, Passive Voice and More

Posted on June 19, 2019

Internet Privacy Protection Act: Pushing back against a bad FCC ruling, several states have enacted laws to protect customers from Internet service providers, the most recent being Maine’s LD 946. The Internet Privacy Protection...

Avoid the passive voice

Posted on June 19, 2019

Richard Nixon and his press secretary were famously ridiculed for saying “mistakes were made.” And yet, the same phrase has been used by Democrats and Republicans ever since. To many people, the passive voice...

Abortion Rights Victories, Limiting Standardized Tests, Message Framing and More

Posted on June 5, 2019

Too Young to Test Act: Given their age, skills and abilities, it is developmentally inappropriate to administer standardized tests to students in prekindergarten through grade two, unless it is necessary for diagnostic screening. In...

Proactive Abortion Rights Legislation, January-May 2019

Posted on June 5, 2019

This report focuses on proactive policy, that is, legislation to expand abortion rights in states and localities. ** = new or updated since the last Repro Rights Report HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2019 (146 proactive measures...

Don’t repeat the opponents’ frame

Posted on June 3, 2019

In his book Don’t Think of an Elephant, Professor George Lakoff provides the most basic principle of framing: “Do not use their language. Their language picks out a frame—and it won’t be the frame...

Messaging Manipulation, Salary History, Community Schools and More

Posted on May 22, 2019

Salary History Anti-Discrimination Act: Both cities and states are banning employers from requesting a prospective employee’s salary history. The reason is that salary history unjustifiably perpetuates wage discrimination, most often against women and people...

Please don’t reject messaging as “spin” or “manipulation”

Posted on May 22, 2019

As we go around the country giving messaging workshops, we’re nearly always asked whether our message framing is a gimmick. After all, conservatives make it seem like a cynical game. They refer to the...

Hate Speech, Teacher Pay, Tobacco Taxes and More

Posted on May 8, 2019

Tobacco Tax Act: Despite the fact that nearly all states have increased tobacco taxes in recent years, polls show that voters would gladly raise them again. The Tobacco Tax Act not only provides millions...

Don’t accept the normalization of hate speech

Posted on May 8, 2019

America is not really a nation of laws. Our statutes govern only the grossest of behavior. The way Americans behave toward each other day-to-day—attitude and etiquette, willingness and wariness, prejudice and tolerance—is governed mostly...

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