Part of changing attitudes towards aging is supporting journalists in applying the principles to reframe aging. Many of us encounter ageist remarks and articles in the media but are unsure how to respond most productively. The National Center to Reframe Aging— the leading organization for evidence-based communication strategies and tools to effectively frame aging issues—developed this toolkit to pave the way for us all to answer constructively. Navigate through each tab of the toolkit to access practical tools, tips, resources, and more. Enclosed you will find:

• Resources from the National Center to Reframe Aging that will support you in applying the principles to reframe aging in your response.
• Webinar Archive featuring Moira O’Neil from the FrameWorks Institute and John Beilenson from SCP discussing how to employ strategies to reframe aging when responding to ageist media coverage and tips for writing effective opinion pieces.
• Talking Points for letters to the editor, opinion pieces, and social media posts to strengthen your response and how your reader understands aging. 
• Tips for Effective Responses to get started in responding to reframing opportunities you see in the media. 
• Social Media Links to tag the National Center to Reframe Aging in your responses.

Talking Points to Include in Your Response

Use these talking points in your letters to the editor, opinion pieces, and social media posts to incorporate the principles to reframe aging in your response. Using evidence-based communication strategies will strengthen your response and how your reader understands aging. 

• We are all aging and offer unique talents and skills across generations. Strengthening intergenerational connections, rather than deepening divides, is key to helping our communities address the challenges we face together. 
• Connecting generations rather than blaming one another will help us find shared solutions and strengthen our sense of belonging. 

• Generations are collections of diverse individuals, not single-minded groups. Framing today’s structural problems as the fault of a single generation overlooks the complex interplay of social structures and policies, and diverts attention from ways generations can work together to create solutions. 

• Research from the National Center to Reframe Aging shows that careful framing can help drive a more accurate and productive story of aging, countering ageism in America. 

• We all deserve to be seen for our full potential, no matter our age. Let’s move forward by encouraging thoughtful journalism that helps bridge generational divides and strengthens our communities. 

• We are all aging. Each year brings new experiences that deepen our perspectives, inform our decision-making, and enhance our ability to make meaningful contributions to our communities. Unfortunately, negative stereotypes persist that suggest our ability to be active members of society diminishes as we grow older. That simply isn’t true. 

• Even when meant in jest, remarks that portray older people as less capable or less deserving shape public attitudes and policies in ways that ultimately limit opportunities for all of us as we age. 

• If we continue to normalize demeaning language about aging, we risk embedding those attitudes deeper into our institutions and our culture. To be part of the solution, we must change how we talk about aging. That means choosing language that uplifts and respects people of all ages and rejecting outdated labels and jokes that reduce people to their age alone. 

• Together, we can help shift public conversation toward respect, accuracy, and the recognition that aging is both universal and valuable.  

• We all deserve to be seen for our full potential, no matter our age. Let’s move forward by challenging talented journalists to address ageism in every form — spoken, joked, or implied. 

Tips to Strengthen Your Response

You have the power to respond with confidence and reframe aging in the media. Use these tips to get started in responding to reframing opportunities you see in the media. Want more reframing? See more tips in the Responding to Ageist Election Coverage Guide and the Using Reframed Language in Opinion Pieces Guide. Together, we can build a media landscape that reflects aging accurately and respectfully.

• Act immediately; the news cycle stops for no one. Submit your letter to the editor within a couple of days and no more than a week after the original article is published.
• Be brief and know if there is a required word limit. Start strong, the first sentence or two of your letter should contain the title and date of the article to which you are responding and the specific point that you either support or oppose.
• Be timely. Editors need a reason to publish your viewpoint right now, so it’s important to connect your article to something that is happening at this moment
• Avoid jargon. Make sure someone with very limited knowledge of the subject/our field can understand what you’re trying to say. Don’t use acronyms or industry terms without providing a definition and/or context.
• Maximize this opportunity by sharing a link to the op-ed across your social channels, in your newsletter and/or to your organizational partners. Don’t forget to tag us and use #ReframeAging.
• Use talking points from the National Center to Reframe Aging and be sure to incorporate the principles to reframe aging in your response. 

Spread the word! Post your response on social media. Don't forget to tag us and use #ReframeAging.

The National Center to Reframe Aging

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