IJDTSW Vol.1 Issue 2 No.5 pp.76 to 90, December 2012
The Coverage of HIV/AIDS in Print Media of Northeast India: A Content Analysis Study
Abstract
The northeastern states of India account for a large share of HIV/AIDS prevalence in the country. There was considerable media coverage of HIV/AIDS in the North East but gradually diminished during the last decade. The objective of this paper is to examine the coverage of HIV/AIDS in print media and explore the possible constructive role that the media can play.
Introduction
Statistics pertaining to HIV/AIDS that is not available is the number of deaths associated with the disease in India each year, although estimates about the number of living patients are regularly updated. One of the reasons for such may be that it takes about 10 years for a person infected with HIV to die. According to National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) 2007 estimates, 2.31 million people are living with HIV/AIDS and the spread of AIDS has been described as the most serious impending health crisis in the country. The adult HIV prevalence has declined from 0.36% (2006) to 0.34% (2007) and females constitute around 39% of the total (0.9 million). Children below 15 years constitute 3.5% of the estimated while those above 49 years constitute 7.8%. North East India bears much of the burden of these devastating statistics. Estimated adult HIV prevalence is highest in the North East – Manipur (1.57%) and Nagaland (1.67%) confirm the highest prevalence rate in the country. An estimated 41,819 people living with HIV have been reported in the northeastern states (The Times of India; 30 November 2008). Clearly, HIV/AIDS is a major public health, social and economic challenge in the North East where resources are dwindling in an already economically disadvantaged region.
Challenges in tackling HIV/AIDS related issues are multi dimensional. They involve lack of public policy, poorly organized health systems, high cost of pharmaceuticals, intricacy of delivering adequate health services, stigma attached to the disease and discrimination against people living with HIV and AIDS. They also include poor response from media houses, major bureaucratic obstacles and lack of legitimate political commitment. In Manipur for example, the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) is seen as an impediment to media effectiveness because it prevents the free movement of journalists or reporters into health facilities and shuns health and development workers from talking to the media and vice versa. Public awareness and understanding of these diseases are crucial to minimizing the overwhelming impact of HIV/AIDS – the media is a strategic resource in shaping and influencing policy makers and public attitude to reverse and manage HIV. Given the prevailing circumstances, there is a critical need for high quality, in depth and diverse media coverage of HIV/AIDS to improve the health situation of those living in the North East. The media in the North East must address the HIV issue and fulfill its role as a watchdog of public policy and spending; bearer of information about treatment and prevention, stigma and discrimination; support networks and act as a catalyst for shaping opinion and social change.
HIV/AIDS Media Search
In India, the media has been involved in covering the HIV/AIDS issue since the first HIV case was detected in 1986. Over the years the nature of press coverage of the disease has change dramatically. So far the media in India has treated HIV/AIDS more as news rather than as a growing menace and scourge threatening both human lives and dignity (Norms for Journalistic Conduct; Press Council of India 1998). Newspapers are to quote expert opinions rather than reaction. Instead of taking initiative to write about the disease to educate masses, the media tend to only cover events related HIV/AIDS and rarely publish analytical and thought provoking stories for social change (Operation Research Group (ORG), Mumbai; Report 1989-90). Lack of technical expertise in order to report on HIV/AIDS is a matter of concern globally. An in-depth analysis of mass communication component-medium term plan of national AIDS programmes in seven countries reveals that the plans lacked definition of appropriate ‘media mix’ or audience segmentation. They are not based on good knowledge of media habits and preferences of various segments of target groups, in different regions and among different socio-economic and age groups (Elkamel, 1986). Policy makers have generally been reluctant to air prevention messages in the media which constitute a major obstacle (Piotrow, Meyer, Zulu, 1992). Carefully designed communication materials have not been released because of opposition from politicians, broadcasters or other gatekeepers afraid of arousing religious or other resistance (Piotrow, Meyer, Zulu, 1992). Lack of education limits awareness about HIV/AIDS. For people struggling to meet their basic needs of food and shelter; avoiding a disease which might not materialize for years can be low on their priority list. Psychological torment, social discrimination, economic problems faced by people living with HIV/AIDS and the care givers would be another important aspect of concern (Panos Media briefing 1992).
Rationale of the study
Mass media represents the most potentially available and most economical means of imparting information about HIV/AIDS. Along with other forms of media, print media can effectively raise public awareness and concern about HIV/AIDS. However, efforts to curb the disease cannot rely on media to do it on their own (Piotrow, Meyer, Zulu, 1992). Media experts have called for mass education of the general public, and have argued that this large scale education has potential for not only correcting misinformation but also for creating and maintaining a more favorable environment for HIV prevention (Hornik, Romer, 1991). If there is so much evidence that proves that the media can effectively play the role of raising awareness, why does the country not implement the well planed mass media policy and strategy for the HIV/AIDS programme. T he HIV/AIDS crisis in the North East poses the following questions: How has the print media in the North East been responding to fight against HIV/AIDS? What role can the media play in containing and managing this epidemic? And how can the media improve to help society combat HIV/AIDS? Certainly, the media can play a dual role by setting the social agenda for policy makers, health and development professionals, social workers and disseminating useful information directly to the public. This will enable them to learn how to acquire new ideas, attitudes and change orientation in the society. Therefore the purpose of this study is to examine and analyze the coverage of HIV/AIDS in print media and explore the possible constructive role the media can play.
Specific objectives of the study
Methodology
The Times of India, The Telegraph and The Assam Tribune – the leading English daily newspapers in the North East with national and regional coverage published simultaneously from the North East region were chosen for the study. The study intends to examine and analyze media coverage on HIV/AIDS issues reported between October and December 2008. These media sources were used as samples to represent other print media considered with the highest circulation or widest reach. The researcher used both quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze media coverage of HIV/AIDS. In addition, secondary sources of information were used to get views on HIV/AIDS coverage and to supplement primary data from this study. This involved visiting various libraries and examining the full editions of study sample. A checklist was prepared while scanning the full editions of the three newspapers for different categories; news/events, features, news analysis, editorial, photographs/photo-features and stories on HIV/AIDS to ensure that the reports were not left out.
The pilot test of the study sample for the year 2007-08 revealed two factors. First, coverage on HIV/AIDS by the three newspapers was rare and to make meaningful interpretation one had to have a large sample of issues. Secondly, though rare in reporting on HIV/AIDS, there was maximum coverage on HIV/AIDS during the months of November and December. Therefore, the researchers used these three months to represent other print media for the study. 1 October to 31 December 2008 was taken as the time period most suited for the study of media coverage on HIV/AIDS. Data from these have been used for content analysis. The unit of analysis was the whole story under any of the above categories; all articles or stories on HIV/AIDS reported were quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed.
Findings and Analysis
The data was aggregated and categorized – primary information obtained from print media formed the basis of content analysis.
Media coverage on HIV/AIDS: Over the 92 days used as sample, a total of 29 articles were published in the three newspapers (The Times of India, The Telegraph and The Assam Tribune) – an average of about only nine articles per month. Given the importance of the subject, the media coverage was found to be quite low. The frequencies of publication vary; The Times of India (37.97%), The Telegraph (6.8%) and The Assam Tribune had the most coverage with 55.1%. World AIDS Day (December 1st) and the subsequent days recorded the highest media coverage (68.9%) in all three newspaper (See Figure 1).
From the above analysis two interpretations could be drawn – organizations or agencies do not make enough use of the media to publicize HIV/AIDS and if such initiative has not been taken by the existing structure, the media lacks the will and capacity to produce news or feature articles on this burning issue.
Most HIV/AIDS articles appear in the category of news stories (79.3%) followed by photo-features (31%) and news analysis (27.5%). Features, letters to the editor and editorial had the least content (See Figure 2).
The length of the articles ranged from 15 articles (51.7%) with little more than 10 cm2 to a total of 12 (41.3 %) pages out of 15 pages on World AIDS Day. Majority of the articles were placed on inside pages and few were on the front page, page two or three; particularly in The Times of India. Only one article was part of the main editorial (The Assam Tribune: 03 Dec 08).
Sources of information on HIV/AIDS coverage: The source of the articles were mainly local/state specific (44.8%), regional (34.4%) and national feature services accounting for (3.4%). The main source of regional HIV/AIDS coverage was found in The Times of India (27.5%) whereas The Assam Tribune accounted highest for local/state sources of information on HIV/AIDS (41.3%). See Figure 3.
The major source of the programmes or projects were NGOs, State Administration and State AIDS Control Society which accounted for (44.8%); meetings, seminars and workshops on HIV/AIDS activities (41.3%); the NACO under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare with (10.3%). Articles out of reporter or columnist initiatives were only 27.5%. See Figure 4. It is interesting to note that only 10 percent reported the source of information from NACO – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The few articles resulting from the reporter and columnist initiative reflects a dual dimension – one could be the incapability amongst journalists to report on HIV/AIDS and the other general perception among journalists could be that HIV/AIDS stories no longer sell.
Among the NGOs cited as sources, most were local and regional NGOs where programmes are facilitated by government agencies or international and UN agencies. However, international and UN agencies that are actively implementing and supporting HIV/AIDS projects in the North East were not reported as the source of information on HIV/AIDS. See Figure 4.
HIV/AIDS Awareness/Prevention: The content category which featured most frequently in all the media stories was HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention; Times of India, (17.2%); The Assam Tribune, (31%). On an average almost fifty percent (48.2%) was reported on HIV awareness. In most cases information was disseminated as critical importance in stemming the spread of HIV. On several occasions it was described as to educate people about HIV/AIDS as many have misconceptions about it.
There was a strong assumption that awareness of HIV/AIDS would lead to better knowledge about HIV/AIDS, safer sexual behavior and behavioral change. However, it was also reported in some cases that awareness of HIV/AIDS has not led to change in behavior. Examples of this contradictory situation was encapsulated in a media analysis finding; “Northeast enjoyed more than 90% HIV/AIDS awareness levels against all India figure of 76.1%, yet the problems HIV/AIDS in northeastern states are on the rise”. (United News of India; 23 Jan 2008). Enabling public to translate the HIV/AIDS information into sustained behavioral change remains a challenge for the media fraternity in the North East.
Mention was made several times regarding HIV/AIDS awareness, most notably where rural areas and hilly districts of the region, in particular, lag behind the rest of the country in their awareness level on HIV/AIDS. During the advocacy meet in Shillong, State Health Minister, Dr. Advisor Pariong said; “As a part of creating awareness, the Meghalaya state government has organized a series of programmes, including poster campaigns, in adherence to the guidelines of NACO. The state health department in association with NGOs has also beamed AIDS awareness programmes on FM radio aimed at the youth of the state” (The Telegraph; 01 Dec 08). However, one of major constraint noted by participants during the capacity building programme for media experts was shortage of information in the media that could be used to explain and discuss the important subject of HIV/AIDS with patients and their families.
In a story that appeared in The Times of India (1 December 2009) titled ‘CRPF Widow leads battle for dignity: HIV+ Women denied Government job offer, braves odds by raising awareness’ the following was mentioned:
Posters and pamphlets are not working by themselves. There has to be a communication back up, especially interpersonal communication in communities. Many are aware of AIDS and have had some form of medium of communication yet denial and social injustice are a stumbling block in the northeast and there is still a stigma attached to the talk about people living with HIV/AIDS.
An aspect difficult to translate is awareness of AIDS to real life situations, especially when they are linked to socio-economic factors and empowerment. Writing in The Times of India, Barnali Handique captured some of the issues faced by women in particular while bridging the barriers for generating more awareness in the region. The story clearly reveals that some women find themselves infected because they lack the power to negotiate with their partners and because of that it becomes difficult for them to practice safe sex though they have the right to do so.
From the above article the researcher analyzed that until women are empowered, the AIDS epidemic may continue in the region. The issue of empowerment it appears has not received adequate coverage in the media. More importantly, while awareness of HIV/AIDS is a necessary step towards changed behavior, there are other factors which influence behavioral change among families, society and rule makers. One must therefore, go beyond awareness of HIV/AIDS to create changed attitude which will lead to protect human dignity, in line with the prevention of HIV/AIDS.
HIV Counseling and Testing: The concept of counseling had a fairly high frequency of mention in The Times of India (13.7%), but the frequency was quite low in The Assam Tribune (10.3%) and The Telegraph (3.4%). Counseling was often depicted as an important service to those living with HIV/AIDS and their family members to enable them to cope with the terminal ill disease. Often the names of NGOs and state health institutions providing such services and training were mentioned but their contact address, telephone numbers to access services were not provided.
In an article in The Times of India (01 Dec 2009), a government official, Mr. Shyamla Rao, IAS (Former Project Director) said; “Assam State AIDS Control Society is targeting to include one third of the state population for voluntary HIV testing”. He mentioned that testing in the state has gone up from 5242 during 2005-06 to 53151 during 2007-08 in Assam. HIV testing is very important in fighting the disease. The State AIDS Control Society is taking help from all quarters. “Apart from NGOs and voluntary organizations, we are involving all government departments in our fight against the disease”.
A major weakness of the current media strategy in handling this concept is the lack of supporting media analysis to bring about behavioral change of people living with HIV/AIDS. Individuals who had been counseled were still reported to have unprotected sex.
HIV/AIDS Statistics: Statistics were often covered as part of content categories; Times of India (17.2%); The Assam Tribune (13.7%); The Telegraph (3.4%). The most popular statistic was the number of PLHA in all north eastern states; 41,819 HIV positive cases (The Times of India; 30 Nov 08) and 42,000 HIV cases (The Times of India; 01 Dec 08) although the first figure was more popular.
The detailed statistics reported in the newspapers are highlighted as follows; In Assam, Mr. Tarun Gogoi, the Chief Minister, quoting the latest statistic available with the government, said there were around 9,000 persons affected by HIV/AIDS in the state yet more than 6,000 people living with HIV/AIDS are yet to identify (The Times of India; 02 Dec 2008). Manipur state has more than 30,000 people living with HIV/AIDS said the Governor Mr. Gurbachan Jagat, during the launch of second line ART ( antiretroviral ) drugs. Manipur has the largest number of HIV positive cases in the North East. According to the Meghalaya Health Minister, Dr. Advisor Pariong, there were as many as 149 HIV positive cases in the state (The Times of India; 01 Dec 08). Project Director, Dr. Neiphie Kire said, Nagaland has 2,608 HIV/AIDS cases till October 2008 out of which 1,465 are men and 1, 43 women. AIDS related deaths are 444 (male 222 and female 175) and there were 47 deaths among children (The Assam Tribune; 03 Dec 2008).
From the reported statistical findings, the researcher examines the unreliability of statistics on HIV/AIDS due to under reporting for a number of reasons: too many agencies have various HIV/AIDS statistics; exclusion of figures of those who diagnosed in private institutions; exclusion of numbers who die at home; some AIDS related deaths are not recorded as such and some health officials are reluctant to report AIDS as cause of death as it may reflect the poor performance of HIV/AIDS programmes. The statistics serve a monitoring purpose and dramatically highlight the increasing dimension of this manageable disease. The message underlying the statistics was that HIV/AIDS is a serious disease and many people are already infected. The effect was to convey a sense of urgency and the need for the public to be extra careful and support people living with HIV and AIDS.
HIV/AIDS Treatment (ART Drugs): There was low coverage on treatment given to people living with HIV/AIDS. On an average only 13.7% content was portrayed in the study sample; The Times of India, (6.8%); The Assam Tribune (6.8%). See Figure 5. Several messages were dominant: a cure for HIV/AIDS does not exist, existing HIV/AIDS treatment facility are inaccessible and drugs (ART) are too expensive for those from remote areas. Times of India on 2 December 2008 reported that National AIDS Control Organization has been given free first line ART drugs through State AIDS Control Society since 2004. The launch of second line drugs (ART) by Governor Mr. Gurbachan Jagat in Manipur was also reported. On the same day the paper mentioned that patients are now taking the latter at Rs. 1000 per month. Often the report was brief, superficial and the ongoing scientific research on HIV/AIDS drugs, treatment and adherence was not reported in any one of the newspaper. The media should report on the importance of treatment and adherence to ART drugs with a note of hope that the treatment is slow but steady research progress has been made towards prolonging life and curtailing deaths.
Discrimination, Care and Support: Discrimination, care and support for the HIV Positive was expected to be a high profile topic found in many stories in the media but very few stories on the subject was reported in the study sample. Times of India carries 24.1% and The Assam Tribune had 17.2%. A reporter from the Times of India on 22 Nov 2008 said; “Families isolate HIV Positive persons, sometimes even asking them to leave home or simply abandoning them. This bloody blow comes when the patient needs his family most”. People living with HIV/AIDS face a problem when other members of society discover their plight was the main focus. A 29 year old from Meghalaya who himself is a HIV positive said;
Nevertheless, the stigma attached to AIDS is not fully gone. There are many HIV positive persons who have not only been disowned by their families, but have also deprived of inheriting property because they are simply not aware of their rights to fight back. Just try and put your feet in our shoes and you will understand what we have been going through (Times of India; 02 Dec 08).
Moreover, the NGO leader, who has been living with HIV for the last three years underlined; “We want empathy, not sympathy”. He said, “our network is working towards making HIV positive people self reliant through vocational training, teaching them to uphold their rights and also creating awareness about do’s and don’ts about HIV/AIDS”. In most cases, the media took the stance of advocacy on behalf of HIV Positive persons. Concluding from the stories what would appear is the lack of support for HIV positive people is quite high. Apart from vague appeals for better treatment towards HIV positive people, the media did not provide substantive information to address the care and support needed by them. Neither was detailed information on how to care for those who are terminally ill, and at home with AIDS provided by the media.
HIV/AIDS – Positive Living Stories: Positive living with HIV was a rare subject and the media coverage on positive living was found to be very low. On an average only 17.2% was reported. Times of India covered 13.7% of the total. This certainly contributed to the silence on positive living amongst HIV positive. It also reflects the silence of people living with HIV to come out and share stories of how they are overcoming the shadow of obscurity. Some stories quoted people who were HIV positive as saying that they were being discriminated by family and society, including being denied jobs. According to Sheila (name changed), she has absolutely no problem carrying on with her studies in one of Shillong’s reputed colleges, despite the world knowing that she is HIV positive. “I am positive in life and that’s it” the 20 year old giggled as her impatient classmates nudged her to hurry up for a Christmas shopping spree (The Times of India; 2 Dec 2008).
Women and HIV/AIDS: This content category was more frequently mentioned in The Times of India (13.7%) as compared to The Telegraph and The Assam Tribune (6.8%). The angle drawn by the researcher in most cases was to portray women as more vulnerable and more likely to embrace HIV/AIDS than their male counterparts. The fact that in affected families the first person to know might be the woman was also raised often. There was frequent mention of young women who fall victim to older men because of economic and sexual disempowerment. The subordinate role of women in society and denial of sexual and reproductive rights was also mentioned in certain instances. The report of NACO’s Sentinel Surveillance 2007 states that females constitute around 39% of the HIV burden. “Fifteen to twenty five year old females have almost doubled the HIV infection rates as compared to their male counterparts. The issue of mother to child infection was also raised. Given the situations portrayed in the media, women are an important target group in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The media however, was not very successful when it came to addressing gender issues in the fight against AIDS. For example, the issue of empowerment was hardly covered. In addition, apart from pointing out a high likelihood of infected mothers passing on the disease to their babies, there was hardly a detailed discussion of how to prevent this from happening.
Children and HIV/AIDS: This was a topic that had low coverage in the media; Times of India (3.4%), The Assam Tribune (3.4%). However, Children and HIV/AIDS is an important issue that needs to be addressed in the North East. One aspect mentioned was orphans whose parents have died of AIDS and problems of caring for this growing group. Another dimension covered was the rejection of children whose parents have both died of AIDS. Infection rates of babies by mothers who are HIV positive were merely highlighted. Facilities available for caring for A1DS orphans were also given publicity. Children below 15 years constitute 3.5% of the estimated number of PLHA according to HIV Sentinel Surveillance and HIV Estimation in India 2007 (NACO; Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India).
Youth, Sex Education and HIV/AIDS: The youth were frequently mentioned by the media constituting an average of 17.2%. As a group, they were most at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. The youth were reported having lack of information; girls in particular. They are often taken advantage of by boys and older men, leading to a higher than average infection rate. The youth also had lack of control and limited access to the media. The Times of India on 1 December 2008 reported that the State AIDS Control Society had installed 97 condoms vending machines in Guwahati alone to promote condom use. Access to condoms was often mentioned but missed out the important message of sex education. The content analysis reveals that communication between youth and adults was often one way and the views of the youth were not heeded, which led to resentment and communication breakdown. This is by far the most important target group in the fight against AIDS and they pose a communication challenge not yet fully addressed by the media. Sexual behavior change among the youth is a major step towards controlling the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS. Enabling young people in schools to understand their sexuality is another area of concern that media should address. Sex education, it was hoped, would help in reducing the problem of teenage pregnancies, STD infections and the spread of HIV/AIDS. One sensed there was ambivalence on the desirability of sex education. That it should be provided to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS, but it should not be a license for young people to practice sex too early in their lives. It is worthy to quote here a campaign “True Love Waits” by Churches around the world. As in the case of youth, the handling of this concept shows that there is a cultural resistance to providing open and explicit sexual education to members of the young generation. Hence the media is expected to target this issue to overcome the barriers.
IDUs and HIV/AIDS: Pockets of HIV Epidemic among IDU identified in 2007 continue to show high HIV prevalence. HIV trends among IDU in selected northeastern states show the following figures; Assam (2.14%), Meghalaya (4.17%), and Nagaland (1.90%). Though trends among IDUs are on a decline in Manipur and Nagaland (reflecting impact of interventions) rising trends are noted in Meghalaya and Mizoram. Various studies reveal that the North East is hardest hit by IDU driven HIV epidemic, causing a public health concern in other parts of the country. However, the media is not giving enough coverage on the linkages between IDUs and HIV/AIDS. According to the report on ‘Mapping and Size Estimation of IDUs in Northeastern States’ conducted by ICMR, FHI and NACO, inadequacy of current program interventions to reach out to the target population and high risk behaviors like sharing injection equipments was positively correlated with HIV transmission. Therefore, it is necessary to expand and strengthen the programme to tackle IDU and HIV/AIDS issues in the North East. The media can play a vital role in disseminating research findings to bring behavioral change in society.
HIV/AIDS and Economy: This content focused on the adverse effects of the HIV/AIDS pandemic on the economy at the national, regional and family level. It was not well covered by the media (Times of India 10.3%, 6.8%); the implied reason was that HIV/AIDS was attacking the most productive and educated sectors of the population. The overall message was one of urgency – that AIDS will have a devastating impact on the northeastern economy unless steps to control it are taken at once. The media could not provide a good example of ‘good practice’ by organizations both at the state and regional level to help fight HIV/AIDS among the workforce. A possible media strategy would be to target the top management of institutions to do more and make their institutions invest more resources in the fight against AIDS, rather than leaving it to the NACO; Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and donor agencies alone. Ultimately the AIDS epidemic will affect their profit margin due to loss of highly trained human resources.
Summary of Findings
A number of issues stand out in the findings of this study – the stress on reporting local news stories rather than features, lack of mobilizing information (MI) in the media and very few editorials on the subject. From the content analysis, the researchers found that HIV/AIDS issues are given little coverage in the North East print media. The articles come mainly as news events and stories, photo-features and rarely as news analysis, as features, editorials and letters to the editor. The sources of information are mainly local, supplemented by regional and national syndicate feature services. Majority of the articles are found on the inside pages rather than in prominent pages. Most articles originate from local and regional NGOs and the state government administration (State AIDS Control Society). There were a few articles published through meetings, seminars and reporter initiatives. The most frequent subjects were HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention; statistics of people living with HIV/AIDS with very little focus on HIV/AIDS treatment (ART drugs); stigma and discrimination; care and support of AIDS patients. Though issues like youth and sex education; women, children and HIV/AIDS; the impact of HIV in the economy were highlighted, the content lacks critical analysis.
Conclusion and Recommendations
The study analyzed the content of three newspapers over three months (1 October to 31 December 2008). During this period it was found that the pattern of coverage of HIV/AIDS stories varied across different media agencies. The Assam Tribune had the most coverage (55.1%) followed by The Times of India (37.97%). The Telegraph had the least coverage (6.8%). The pattern of coverage on a monthly basis also varied in terms of frequency in all the newspapers. In the month of December there were several stories covered and the highest regional coverage was from The Times of India.
A conclusion drawn from this pattern of coverage is that weeks could pass without a story on HIV/AIDS appearing in the media. The variation of coverage from one month to another also indicates that there is no clear editorial policy to give prominence to this important subject by providing sustained coverage. Most stories were of the spot news variety focusing on local meetings, seminars and speeches given by politicians, government officials and health care providers during these workshops. Feature articles and investigative reports were a rare exception. The general impression is that The Times of India has more feature stories than the others, although overall it had fewer stories than the other media agencies.
Undoubtedly the media has done a commendable job in raising awareness about HIV/AIDS, and the rate of infection has dropped moderately in some states over the last few years. However, there is a still lot more to be done with respect to effecting behavioral and attitudinal change. Depending on the way the media handle HIV/AIDS issues the public is likely to perceive it in the same light. In the early stages when HIV/AIDS cases started being reported in the 1990s, HIV/AIDS featured prominently on the media agenda. By the end of the 1990s HIV/AIDS was no longer big news. Some considerable coverage on HIV/AIDS is given on World AIDS Day (December 1) but not on a consistent basis. The media faces the challenge of keeping the public constantly reminded of the seriousness of HIV/AIDS, particularly in the northeastern states. Although there were not many direct articles about HIV positive people, the image associated with HIV/AIDS patients is that infected people become outcasts in society. Sometimes people suffer illness with similar symptoms like HIV/AIDS and they fear seeking treatment in hospitals. They die out of shame of being recognized as having HIV/AIDS. The media has to attempt not to portray HIV/AIDS so negatively that people living with AIDS or those with symptoms are afraid of seeking treatment which could prolong and lead their quality of life. However, to contain the HIV/AIDS situation, media as channels of information need to be supplemented with other sources – not all people, particularly those in rural areas, have access to the mass media. Even for those who have access, the media is good for providing information due to its capacity to reach many people simultaneously but if one expects behavioral change there is need for other channels to be used. This is where interpersonal and group communication, theatre, posters and other forms of media can be used. In patriarchal societies men dominate decisions in the home including those concerning sexual relations. One finds many men with more than one sexual partner. Except for female sex workers, it is rare for a woman to have more than one sexual partner. It is therefore necessary not only to focus on women in the fight against AIDS but also on the men. Initially most programmes were targeted at women but there was not much change until the realization that women alone do not make independent decisions and hence men were also targeted.
The fight against HIV/AIDS needs a multi-disciplinary approach and the media has a vital role to play, especially the local and regional media which is the most accessible medium for the masses. Media houses need to move away from conventional communication which involves mere dissemination of events towards providing mobilizing information. For journalists to adequately inform and educate the public they themselves must be proactive and informed about HIV/AIDS issues. The government, private sector, NGOs, United Nations and individuals should keep journalists abreast with any new developments or breakthroughs on the HIV epidemic. In North East India, the NACO through States AIDS Control Society along with UN agencies such as UNICEF, UNAIDS and other external support agencies could serve as the centre for regular briefings to journalists or vice versa for dissemination about HIV/AIDS issues. Since editors may often claim that HIV/AIDS stories no longer sell, there is a need to train journalists at a larger scale to package HIV/AIDS issues in a way that will make them see the vital role they play in combating HIV/AIDS. Such practices from the media would certainly help halt and reverse the further spread of HIV in the North East and in India. The HIV/AIDS epidemic is one of the country’s most serious development crises and the North East region needs the help of the media to tell people the truth about how HIV/AIDS is spread and its impact on individuals, the community, society and the national economy.
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http://dspace.vidyanidhi.org.in:8080/dspace/bitstream/2009/708/6/JMI-2001-132-1.pdf
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