Sections

Reporting on children in the context of HIV/AIDS

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The media shapes public attitudes and actions towards children affected by HIV/AIDS. This makes it important for journalists and editors to be conscious of the perspectives and judgements that are implicit in their reporting. This resource provides reference information to assist journalists in reporting on children in the context of HIV/AIDS.

Part 1. Presents recent research and thinking around the ways in which children are affected by HIV/AIDS, including being orphaned.

Part 2. Outlines some of the key issues in responding to children affected by HIV/AIDS, including clinical interventions, (such as prevention of mother-to-child transmission and antiretroviral treatment), and social support for affected communities.

Part 3. Presents some misleading messages that the media perpetuates in its coverage. It challenges journalists to contextualise stories and to not compromise children’s well being through stereotyping.

Part 4. Provides journalists with five guiding principles for reporting on children and HIV/AIDS, including issues of confidentiality and children’s right to participate in matters that concern them.

Part 5. Provides a detailed resource list, including organisations that conduct research into children affected by the epidemic, those which can provide up-to-date statistics, and organisations that work directly with children and their families.

Part 6. Provides a list of sources used in this resource, and numbered in the text using superscript. It also provides a list of media monitored during the research.

 

About the research

This resource draws on media research conducted by the Children’s Institute and the Centre for Social Science Research (both at the University of Cape Town), the Media Monitoring Project and the HIV/AIDS and the Media Project, managed by the Journalism Programme and the Perinatal HIV Research Unit (at the University of the Witwatersrand). For more detailed analysis, copies of related research publications are available from the Children’s Institute, the Media Monitoring Project, and the HIV/AIDS and the Media Project (see Section 5 of this report for contact details).

This resource was compiled by the Children’s Institute, the Centre for Social Science Research, the Media Monitoring Project, and the HIV/AIDS and the Media Project. Written by William Bird, Rachel Bray, Gemma Harries, Helen Meintjes, Jo Monson and Natalie Ridgard. © 2005 MMP, CI, CSSR, Wits

The information in this booklet can be used, shared, and reproduced with the full acknowledgement of the authors.

 

Acknowledgements

Thank you to all those who commented on this resource during its development:

  • Alan Finlay— Open Research
  • Andrew Boulle— Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Unit, University of Cape Town
  • Caroline Hooper-Box— Sunday Independent
  • Helen Struthers— Perinatal HIV Research Unit
  • James Nuttall— Red Cross Hospital
  • Jo Stein— Lung Institute, University of Cape Town
  • Nicola Spurr— Independent researcher
  • Shireen Usdin— Soul City
  • Sonja Giese— Children’s Institute
  • Sue Goldstein— Soul Buddyz
  • Sue Valentine— Open Society Foundation

This project was funded by the Bernard van Leer Foundation.