WUNRN
HIV/AIDS & STIGMA: THE MEDIA
CHALLENGE - WOMEN & HIV
Direct Link to Full 24-Page 2014
Report:
Scroll down for author Sophie Chalk
Report Summary.
September 1, 2014 -
"The role of the media in tackling HIV related stigma is crucial. It is
seen as one of the drivers of HIV reduction, yet the media is far from reaching
its full potential....Many of our interviewees believe there is fatigue with
HIV in the mainstream media..."
This is one of the key
findings from this report, which provides an overview of media initiatives that
seek to reduce HIV-related stigma and explores what works and what doesn't. As
explained here, stigma can stand in the way of people (especially sex workers
and their clients, men who have sex with men, the transgender community, and
people who inject drugs) accessing life-saving treatment. The media has a key
role to play in challenging ignorance, prejudice, and fear, while also
providing accessible information to support people in accessing sexual and
reproductive health and HIV services. "...[Y]et the media is far from
reaching its full potential..."
To inform this report, the
International Broadcasting Trust (IBT) and the International Planned Parenthood
Federation (IPPF) conducted desk research, 22 telephone or face-to-face interviews
(with journalists, policymakers, academics, and representatives of
non-governmental organisations (NGOs), amongst others, from Canada, India,
Malaysia, Nigeria, Zambia, South Africa, Uganda, Swaziland, Argentina, the
United States, and the United Kingdom). The researchers also took a field trip
to Swaziland in April 2014, where 24 additional interviews were conducted and
two informal focus groups were held. One focus group comprised people living
with HIV; the other comprised a group of young people from the general
population. The report is filled with reflections from these participants.
One such question explored
during the research process revolves around whether direct messaging works -
does it genuinely engage the public and lead to behaviour change or is a more
nuanced approach required?
In brief, researchers found
that, "[w]hile the tone of media coverage has improved in some countries,
this is no longer a story that engages journalists - or the public. Newspapers
were singled out for their tabloid and sensationalised coverage of people
living with HIV."
That said, the researchers
note that, in many countries, "training of journalists has had a notable
impact. Enabling journalists to hear the personal testimony of people living
with HIV gives them a powerful insight into the human story. There are numerous
models of media intervention: TV and radio drama; sponsored TV or radio talk
shows; journalism training; the creation of journalist networks; public service
announcements (PSAs); feeding storylines into existing dramas; multi-platform
approaches; reactive campaigns, and comedy." Several examples of such
interventions from around the world are provided in the report.
It is recommended that NGOs
working on HIV media campaigns determine which model of media will lead to
changes in norms and reduce HIV-related stigma. In terms of the type of media,
the researchers found that newspapers are "an important driver of public
opinion; they influence decision makers and set the agenda for other media
coverage." Also, TV and radio dramas have been effective at "engaging
audiences and making them more sympathetic towards people living with HIV,
particularly when it can be done on the scale of African TV dramas like Soul
City or Shuga."
The Swaziland case study
begins on page 14 of the report. The researchers chose this country not only
because it has highest prevalence of people living with HIV in the world (26%)
but also because it provided them with the opportunity to examine less-high
profile, small-scale media projects. Just one excerpt from this portion of a
report (from a person living with HIV, spoken during a focus group discussion):
"I haven't seen the media play a very active role with positive stories. I
have lived with HIV for a very long time. The media haven't caught up with the
story that people live longer now. It's either journalists have not got enough
information or they just don't want to flag up the positives about HIV."
Recommendations from the
entirety of the research include: