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2 Newsroom Leaders Review The 2 nd Generation Of HIV/AIDS Coverage Copyright © 2008 by National Press Foundation

3 The 1 st Generation 1981 – 2000 –Scientific understanding –Increasing clarification of numbers –Knowledge of Vaccines Behavior Prevention – at least the theory

4 The 2 nd Generation today –The Stories The impact –On society –Business –Education Vulnerable groups Prevention –what works –what doesn’t work –what we can’t yet make work

5 A global view of HIV infection 38.6 million people [33.4 ‒ 46.0 million] living with HIV, Where We Stand Today

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7 The Situation Today Outside This Newsroom To make a customized data sheet on your country, use this link: s_custom.jsp# s_custom.jsp# Once you’ve gotten the country figures, you may be able to search out more detailed and local figures.

8 Let’s say I’m in Kenya And I want to compare the prevalence rate of people with HIV/AIDS with two neighboring countries. I go to this site, and select, “Create a Custom Data Sheet” I enter neighboring countries Ethiopia and Malawi

9 IndicatorDate/Date RangeData TypeData Ethiopia Kenya Malawi HIV/AIDS Adult HIV/AIDS Prevalence RateGlobal Data, 2007; Country Data, 2005% %14.1%

10 Everything Outside this Newsroom Related to HIV/AIDS … Is a story waiting to be told

11 Transmission Unprotected sexual contact IV drug use Unsafe clinical environment Mother-to-child transmission

12 Prevention Condoms – Male or female Microbicides Limited sexual partners Clean needles Preventing mother-to-child transmission Sterile clinical environments male circumcision, for adults

13 Vulnerable People Women –Especially in male-dominant cultures –In war zones –Sex workers Children –students Medical workers Men in risky relationships

14 Vulnerable Groups Local communities National defense Migrant workers Agriculture Education

15 Language The best language seeks to be value- neutral, so the words don’t get in the way of our story. For example … –“person with HIV/AIDS” rather than “AIDS victim or AIDS sufferer” –Sex worker, not prostitute –“contracted HIV…” rather than “became infected with…”

16 What are the obstacles we face in covering HIV/AIDS? Lack of information Ignorance of the facts Lack of interest –Our own –Editors ’ –Readers/Viewers ’ Fear Stigma & discrimination Lack of time Lack of official or editorial support Denialists Anything else?

17 The Big Logistical Problems Most HIV+ don’t know infected Not much $ in vaccines, microbicides, generics Prevention efforts woefully lacking Behavior is hard to change

18 “These are some of the ways I’ve covered HIV/AIDS Stories” You tell your stories

19 Story Meeting 1 –How do people who are HIV+ feel about the word “ victim ” ? –Should sex workers be regulated? –Do we identify someone who is HIV+? –Can we follow an HIV+ person as he/she attempts to get medicine?

20 Story Meeting 2 Why are men reluctant to use condoms? What can we tell readers/viewers about a female condom? How do we report on MSM? How do we deal with denialists? Do we have an ethical obligation to cover HIV/AIDS?

21 Story Meeting 3 What research into HIV/AIDS is being done here in … What about a story about the stress on health professionals, like nurses, as they deal with people who are HIV+ and there is no money. How do families talk about HIV/AIDS? –To prevent it –If someone is living with it

22 What are the ethical questions we face in doing these stories? Do you use someone’s real name? Do you show their picture? What are the consequences of this this? Do you tell them the potential consequences?

23 (Your country) is not alone among the nations

24 United States

25 China

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27 Thailand

28 Africa

29 Ukraine Valeria, HIV positive mother and activist says, "HIV positive children should enjoy full rights for treatment and schooling, just like other children." Credit: UNAIDS/WHO/V. Suvorov

30 Using Graphs & Charts Once we ask the question, why?

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32 HIV slows economic growth Growth Impact of HIV ( ) (80 developing countries) HIV Prevalence Rate (%) Reduction in growth rate GDP per capita (%, per year) Source: R. Bonnel (2000) Economic Analysis ofHIV/AIDS, ADF2000 Background paper, World Bank. Slide adapted from UNAIDS: “Socio-Economic Impact of HIV/AIDS in Africa,” presented by Anita Alban and Lorna Guiness, ADF 2000.

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35 Ultimately, Journalism is about people…

36 People with HIV/AIDS Portraits of young Russians and young couples (aged ) taken during the 5th Summer Volunteering School funded in part by UNICEF. Altai Republic, Russian Federation, August Credit: UNAIDS/S. Drakborg

37 Journalists & HIV+ people Lionel Belfar, HIV+ advocate, interviewed by journalists at J2J AIDS Conference, Toronto, Woman at left, from Romania, had written about AIDS for years & never spoken directly to HIV+ person before.

38 Brazil

39 Germany (one nail for everyone who died that year)

40 China

41 “When it comes to AIDS, journalists can have more of an impact than doctors” –Dr. Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS, said this about journalists at a J2J program in 2002

42 A Few Sources for More Information /en/Regions_Countrie shttp:// /en/Regions_Countrie s pub/GlobalReport/200 6 [use this for local charts] pub/GlobalReport/ hfacts.org/factsheets_ custom.jsp# hfacts.org/factsheets_ custom.jsp#

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