The Daily Sun encourages good conversation
Kim Johnson
3 February 2012
The Daily Sun’s ‘Speak Up!’ section provides a unique space for HIV-conscious readers to communicate through, rather than with, the media.
This makes a change from the conventional dynamic of communication between readers and the media by adding an additional channel where readers can communicate with readers.
This could ultimately break the cycle of HIV fatigue, heralding more public interest and involvement in HIV-related issues in a context where one-way HIV communication has been the norm.
This is because ‘Speak Up!’ represents an opportunity to have a meaningful conversation about HIV, which is driven by the public. The public is more likely to ‘buy into’ and be interested in this form of HIV communication because readers are afforded the opportunity to respond and be actively involved rather than just being talked at.
While it is standard for papers and magazines to have a page dedicated to correspondence from readers, reader comment usually (but not always) seems to lean towards reaction to topical issues and articles covered therein. This therefore functions as a channel of communication between the media and the public.
But the Daily Sun has changed this dynamic by opening up a space that readers are using to proactively raise issues and communicate HIV-related information to fellow readers.
For instance, this week’s editions of the ‘people’s paper’ saw numerous readers’ letters which centred on communicating HIV and AIDS information.
One reader took the time to write an informative piece that read like a well-written review of HIV and associated events and developments over the last 30 years. Another reader warned of the HIV risks that students face.
Given that close to 5 million South Africans read the “people’s paper”, this form of “citizen journalism” can be a very powerful means of changing how we think about HIV.
blog comments powered by Disqus
