Media and HIV/AIDS, The: A Blessing and a Curse

This article reviews the role of media in South Africa, its portrayal of HIV/AIDS, and the problems associated with it. In the author's words "different people, different political parties, different treatment - but by the same media. This is both an indication of how inconsistent journalists have been in reporting on HIV/AIDS and how the interests of the most powerful political party, the African National Congress (ANC) tend to dominate the media."

A number of factors contribute to the media's lack of focus on the issue. Few media group have committed themselves to "sustained coverage." And from a reporter's point of view, "it is not easy to report on HIV/AIDS. Fear, prejudice, ignorance, denial, political agendas and economics all play a part in shaping how South Africans see the epidemic." From an economic perspective, "a society where a quarter or more of the population is preoccupied with sickness and death is not a society which will fatten the wallets of media owners.”

Click here to download the paper as a Microsoft Word document.