BID TO IMPROVE HIV AIDS REPORTING

Journalists in Swaziland are to be given the chance to learn more about HIV and AIDs, following criticisms that their reporting on the subjects was biased and sensational.

The Swaziland National Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS (SWANNEPHA), the Swaziland National Association of Journalists (SNAJ) and the Media Institute of Southern Africa Swaziland Chapter will join forces to raise awareness among journalists.

According to a report in the Weekend Observer on Saturday (5 January 2008) sessions will be held to ‘clear the misconceptions that the public and the media have about people living with HIV and AIDS. Sessions will also ensure accurate and evidenced based reporting on HIV and AIDS issues as well as consistent information sharing.’

The Weekend Observer, quoting a report from SWANNEPHA, said the public is normally cynical of journalists who take information, sensationalise and change it before publishing it without the consent of the informant.

The Weekend Observer reported that journalists acknowledged that information on HIV and AIDS was sometimes wrongly presented, but they were willing to learn.

This move to raise awareness among journalists is welcome, but we must remember that we have been here before. The SNAJ already has a code of conduct which includes guidelines on HIV and AIDS reporting

Article 19 of the SNAJ Code of Conduct is about the reporting of HIV and AIDs. It is divided into nine subsections, including gender, privacy, rights of infected children and the language to be used in reports.

The point is that even though guidelines exist, reporters and their editors often don’t understand them and there is no incentive within media houses to learn how to do things better.

The problem of poor reporting of HIV and AIDS is not confined to Swaziland. They also have a lot of problems in South Africa where a lot of work has been done to help journalists report well.

In South Africa guidelines have been drawn up because it is believed that what the media report have consequences for people’s lives. This is especially true in the area of reporting on HIV and AIDS. Stigma and discrimination means that careless reporting could have a serious negative impact on the individual concerned. Media reporting can also perpetuate myths and stereotypes and so contribute to stigma and discrimination. This means there is a need for specific ethical guidelines for reporting on HIV and AIDS.

Here is an edited version of the guidelines which can bee seen in full here

Privacy
Media reporters should note that:
» The HIV status of an individual is private unless otherwise indicated;
» All individuals have the right to control personal information, even where such information is already contained in public/semi-public documents;
» Children have a right to privacy

Confidentiality
The name or photograph of an individual with HIV should not be published without that individual’s expressed informed consent.

Informed consent
To obtain informed consent, journalists, photographers and camerapersons should:
» Clearly identify themselves when requesting to interview or photograph people living with HIV and AIDS;
» State the purpose of the interview/photograph, the context in which these may be utilised and the potential ramifications for the individual, their children and other family members;
» Consider whether the individual person living with HIV and AIDS is in a position to provide informed consent;
» Ensure that the person being interviewed has disclosed their status to their partners and families;
» Seek to obtain informed consent in the individual’s home language, wherever possible;
» Remain sensitive to the dangers of implying, or placing a person in a situation that may imply, HIV status; and
» Avoid promises that cannot be upheld (for example that the story will not be used within South Africa).

These guidelines apply even where media work has been facilitated by organisations working in the area of HIV and AIDS.

Interviewing people living with HIV and AIDS requires special sensitivities
Media workers should be aware that:
» If they are ill they present a health risk to people whose immune systems may be compromised, and it is advisable to postpone scheduled interviews;
» It is advisable to interview individuals in their home language;
» Direct payment for interviews or material is not advised, though support provided through a third party and in the interest of the person concerned is acceptable.

More information on good reporting of HIV AIDS, including fact sheets and reporting tips, is available from the HIV/AIDS and the Media Project at the University of the Witwatersrand.