1. Media & AIDS: How journalists can do better Guy Berger

2. What’s up: 1.Media in the mix 2.What news does … 3.Impact? 4.Why impact could be greater 5.What’s to be done … 6.Conclusion

3. What’s up: 1.Media in the mix 2.What news does … 3.Impact? 4.Why impact cd be greater 5.What’s to be done … 6.Conclusion

4. 1. Media in the mix Social marketing programmes Persuasive & educational content –Aims at behavioural change –Counters adverts, traditions, ignorance. SABC: Soul City (& Soul Buddyz) –6 TV, 6 radio series, 17m booklets, –One of top 3 TV programmes.

5. Media in the mix Where does broadcast news fit in? –Not driven by a change- agenda, –Yet still in the total AIDS comms spectrum.

6. What’s up: 1.Media in the mix 2.What news does … 3.Impact? 4.Why impact could be greater 5.What’s to be done … 6.Conclusion

7. What news does: 1. Affects emotions & attitudes: –even though this is not its prime purpose (unlike social marketing). BUT fear-despair plays 2 ways.

8. What news does: 2. Informs & educates: Eg. antiretrovirals, CD4 count, diet, infection stats. But: also myths & mistakes

9. What news does: 3. Sets agenda: –how NB is the issue, which issue? –“cries wolf? Disaster!” 4. Frames the story: –Gay disease? Stigma? –Lays blame…

10. What news does: 5. Watchdog: –On AIDS industry; Big Pharma; Govt & business policies. –Some say: overdone = story reduced to politics.

11. Summing up - News: Affects emotions/attitude, Informs & educate, Sets agendas, Frames interpretation, Plays watchdog. NOTE: not always +ve role!

12. What’s up: 1.Media in the mix 2.What news does … 3.Impact? 4.Why impact could be greater 5.What’s to be done … 6.Conclusion

13. 3. With what impact? SA horrendous stats: –10% HIV+, i.e. 5 million –Demographics: poor, early 30s, women

14. With what impact? Wd probably be worse without joint media efforts! Coverage has changed govt & also pharma policy … But more impact still needed!

15. What’s up: 1.Media in the mix 2.What news does … 3.Impact? 4.Why impact could be greater 5.What’s to be done … 6.Conclusion

16. Social marketing shows impact:

17. Soul City audience were: 3 x more likely than others to experience progressive norms. 4x more likely than others to – use condoms, taken HIV test, – help HIV+ person, use help- line.

18. Soul City audience: Prior to exposure, 1 in 5 said their friends believed men had a right to non-condomized sex. Post exposure, it was 1 in 10. –Shows impact on norms

19. Soul City = information Knowledge that AIDS has no cure rose from 80% to 90% pre- & post-exposure to S.C. i.e sophisticated propaganda against AIDS has some effect.

20. But what about news?: Journalism impacts on politicians, … but its impact on people is a lot less than it could be.

21. What about news?: News “excuses”: Fallacies of: “audience fatigue” “feebleness of news” More can be done!

22. What’s up: 1.Media in the mix 2.What news does … 3.Impact? 4.Why impact could be greater 5. What’s to be done … 6.Conclusion

23. 5. What is to be done: an agenda for news 1. More accurate info needed: –Edit wording like “died of AIDS”, “Aids sufferer”; -Avoid false hopes; -Kill jargon. (eg. “HIV positive”)

24. What is to be done: 2. Do systematic & creative & helpful coverage: –Less doomsday sensationalism. –Keep AIDS on news agenda.

25. What is to be done: 3. Full range of angles, not just one: –economics, health care, sexuality, epidemiology, science, orphans, gender, etc. … & politics.

26. What is to be done: 4. Watchdog role should be even-handed: –Put responsibility on all role players: Govt, business, civil society, individuals.

27. What is to be done: 5. Ethics must be improved: –respect privacy, –avoid stigmatising, –get source consent.

28. What is to be done: 6. Strategy is required from media leaders: –Policy in your company? Your own role models?

29. What is to be done: 7. Not just any story – this one needs proactivity.

30. What is to be done: 8. Ongoing staff training is needed: Avoid ghetto-izing expertise.

31. What’s up: 1.Media in the mix 2.What news does … 3.Impact? 4.Why impact could be greater 5.What’s to be done … 6.Conclusion

32. Summing up: Journalism is different to social marketing. AIDS news plays in many arenas: political, personal, etc. It complements other AIDS comms impact.

33. But: News sets false limits on its own impact potential. Coverage does not have to be advocacy journalism in order to increase its impact. It must make more difference!

34. Thank you Think about your potential for impact in both social marketing & news… Be a proactive player when it comes to the range of comms about AIDS!