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Mexico XVII - Communication

Communication perspectives - Mexico XVII AIDS Conference
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AIDS at 21: Media Coverage of the HIV Epidemic 1981-2002

March 1 2004

Summary

In early 2004, Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) released the results of an examination of United States media coverage of HIV/AIDS from 1981 to 2002. In brief, the report indicates that overall media coverage of HIV decreased during that period, while the amount of coverage of the global epidemic (e.g., in Africa) increased. The report also finds that specific populations disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS in the USA, such as gay men, teenagers and young adults, minorities, and women, were the focus of only a small amount of the news coverage.


The analysis, conducted in collaboration with Princeton Survey Research Associates, was based on a sample of more than 9,000 total news stories from major USA print and broadcast sources, including 4 major national newspapers, 3 major regional papers in areas particularly hard-hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and 3 major network news programmes. Stories were also coded from The London Times for comparison. The overview of the study summarised here was a supplement to the March/April 2004 issue of the Columbia Journalism Review. In addition to this overview, an article, "AIDS: Hiding in Plain Sight," by Kai Wright, appeared in that issue.


Trends detailed in the report include:

  • Decline in Total Coverage: Total media coverage of HIV/AIDS increased during the early 1980's, peaked in 1987, and declined steadily through 2001. While this decline in coverage seems to mirror a decline in new AIDS cases in the USA, it began about 6 years before the decline in cases, and continued even as the cumulative number of AIDS cases in the USA rose above 500,000. Minor peaks in coverage after 1987 coincided with major developments in the epidemic.
  • Shift Away from U.S. Focus: Coverage was mainly USA-focussed throughout the time period, but the proportion of stories with at least some global focus increased dramatically, starting in 2000, accompanied by a decline in attention to the domestic story.
  • Changes in Portrayal of Affected Population: Over time, there was a decrease in media coverage focused on the USA population and an increase in attention to the world and non-USA populations generally and African and Asian nations' populations in particular. In an analysis of the "face of AIDS" as visually depicted in broadcast news, the most frequently portrayed population was health care professionals (20% of broadcast stories), while gay men were the on-camera focus of 3% of stories. Other infrequently portrayed groups included teenagers and young adults (3%), minorities (1%), and women (1%).
  • Changes in Story Topics: Over time, stories about HIV transmission and social issues such as discrimination and housing declined, as stories focussing on government funding/financing for HIV/AIDS and philanthropic fundraising efforts increased.
  • Timeline Events: Coverage generally reflected key events that have occurred throughout the history of the epidemic, such as the introduction of protease inhibitors/highly active antiretroviral therapy and sharp increases in the number of HIV/AIDS cases in Africa.
  • Consumer Education: A decreasing number of stories have a consumer education component (e.g., information about HIV transmission).

Click here to access the report in PDF format. Visit the KFF site for more details.


Source

Letter sent from Paulo Lyra to The Communication Initiative on March 1 2004; and KFF News Release "22-Year Analysis Shows Overall Media Coverage of HIV/AIDS Decreasing, but Focus on Global Epidemic Increasing" - dated March 1 2004.


Placed on the Communication Initiative site March 03 2004
Last Updated March 03 2004

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