ABSTRACT
A frame is a way of presenting an idea, an advertisement, a message, or a news event in a particular way by emphasizing certain aspects while downplaying others. The frames we select in communication, verbally or visually, change the meaning that audiences may take from messages (Entman, 1993). Sometimes communicators consciously select the frames to elicit the maximum persuasiveness or credibility. And sometimes communicators are unaware that in their choices of message strategies, they are inevitably affecting how audiences may respond. For example, a news story about parents who choose not to vaccinate their children may be framed in many ways. They might portray parents as irresponsible or silly or show them as courageously exerting their religious or political beliefs. A story may emphasize the role of experts such as physicians, quoting them as arguing that vaccines have been scientifically proven as safe and effective. A different story frame may blame parents or schools that don’t insist on vaccinations for putting other children at risk. Frames are important because they serve to simplify complex ideas, and in the process of simplifying, they are persuasive, for good or for ill. In addition, the act of choosing which problems deserve our attention is an aspect of framing. Framing involves defining problems and their severity, and identifying what may be causing the problems. In assigning blame or responsibility for a problem, a normative element usually arises-what’s the right thing to do? What’s the best way to deal with it? This chapter discusses framing in health communication and dilemmas that communicators face in presenting messages that are both effective and ethical.
