Voice and Visibility

This 16-page report from the Internews Service Voices project is issued in
collaboration with two HIV/AIDS networks:
the Global Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (GNP+), and the
International Council of AIDS Service Organisations (ICASO). It analyses
responses from more than 300 respondents living with HIV, as well as frontline AIDS care and service
providers, from 44 countries who were asked their views on local news
coverage on HIV/AIDS.

The report includes scope and quality of news reporting, how the media portray people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV), how to engage the media, and areas for improvement including strategies and recommendations.



According to the report, one problem is that
reporters and editors still tend to use inaccurate and stigmatising language to report on HIV/AIDS. The report contrasts how the media report on PLHIV and what PLHIV and those involved in care believe reporting should contain. Providers would like to see the voice of local PLHIV, rather than global statistics and local political comment. Respondents objected to sensationalist, stigmatising, and inaccurate stories as well as the "easy" 'official' stories. They are requesting accurate, scientific, educational, appropriate, and respectful reporting.

A recommendation is to train specialist health reporters for HIV/AIDS reporting in which PLHIV can collaborate. Collaborative strategies include: co-production, mutual learning, partnership-building, and new financial models, including a reduced financial structure for HIV/AIDS-related media time. Also recommended are more frequent PLHIV responses to media information needs, and promotion of a media learning agenda, including specialist training and internal lobbying in all media houses. A suggested solution to hearing more frequently from PLHIV is the expansion of participatory media formats, such as live call-in programmes and talk shows, as well as accurate highlighting of the voices of PHLIV in the news.

In its conclusion, the report cites "improvements over the past decade in the accuracy, depth, and sensitivity of local media coverage. However, PLHIV still struggle with stigmatising media coverage..." and with coverage lacking depth, accuracy, frequency, and local relevance.