What transforms a disagreeable but widely accepted condition into an intolerable problem against which a society marshals its resources? How can social scientists and policymakers help bring about such a transformation for the issue of gun violence? These questions were the focus of the conference "Mass Communication and Social Agenda-Setting," sponsored by The Annenberg Washinton Program and the Center for Health Communication of the Harvard School of Public Health. Speakers included public opinion analyst Daniel …showed first 75 words of 358 total…

…showed last 75 words of 358 total…Mark L. Rosenberg, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, outlined a public health approach that would seek to shift the focus toward primary prevention. Winsten announced that a new Harvard project would lobby TV writers to portray guns adversely, especially loaded handguns in people's homes. The Annenberg Washington Program has published a report on the conference, Violence, Public Health, and the Media, by Margaret Gerteis, formerly of the Harvard Center for Health Communication.