Media coverage of the HIV AIDS pandemic in Swaziland is bad and it is not only the poor quality of the kingdom’s journalists that is to blame.
On Tuesday (8 January 2008) I wrote that there was a move within Swaziland to help teach the kingdom’s journalist responsible ways to report on people who are living with HIV AIDS.
Although the move is a welcome one we must remember that there is a wider context to the poor reporting of HIV AIDS.
An independent report into how the media in Swaziland deal with HIV and AIDS concluded that the main reasons for poor reporting includeD the stringent government controls on media in Swaziland (particularly for radio) and a prohibitive legislative environment, as well as a fundamental lack of capacity within the media sector itself. Non-governmental organisations are largely responsible for contributing HIV AIDS information to Swazi newspapers.
The report was published by Panos in 2005.
According to its own website Panos is a global network of independent NGOs working with the media to stimulate debate on global development issues. Panos works from offices in 16 countries.
The report concluded that there are concerns about the media’s ability to contribute to effectively raising awareness about and addressing the HIV AIDS epidemic in Swaziland.
The report is a detailed analysis of the situation in Swaziland and it is worth looking at it here in some length.
The report found that radio remains a key source of information for the population. Radio authorities, formed of civil servants and the Ministry of Information, feel that HIV AIDS is a health issue and that health issues already have their slot on the station’s programme line-up. Meanwhile, occasional shows are produced by NGOs in alliance with the Ministry of Health, such as Youth and AIDS, which is now off the air.
The Swaziland Broadcasting and Information Service (SBIS) has not treated the epidemic as a national crisis worthy of sustained and prominent programming.
The report stated, ‘The government is suspicious of radio call-in shows that allow listeners to express views that might be embarrassing or politically dissenting.
‘Radio call-in programmes have largely been curtailed, although one or two are occasionally aired during the week (but not at peak times), covering uncontroversial subjects and with a low level of listeners. Some of those interviewed for this study would like to have audience participation programmes, such as radio phone-in shows. While these could effectively create spaces for debate and discussion about HIV AIDS, there is also a need to ensure that they do not marginalise sections of the population who do not have access to this means of communication, but are equally vulnerable or affected.’
The report found that overall, the tone expressed in the group interviews for the study was one of frustration and apathy. In general, audience groups commented that the way HIV AIDS information was presented in the media could be more accessible and interesting. For example, the young people interviewed tended to shun educational shows, but might consider a well-made infotainment show featuring their sports and show business idols, while also including HIV AIDS information. No member of the groups sought out health programmes or read HIV AIDS information in the press as a matter of special personal interest.
The report stated that although a number of listeners were aware of radio programmes that produce HIV AIDS information, not a single ‘fan’ of these shows could be found: that is, there was no one who tuned in to listen with the interest or devotion that they might, for example, have for a soap opera or music request show. It seems that HIV AIDS information reaches young people through school-based sex education – including visits from NGOs like the Swaziland AIDS Support Organisation – rather than through the media.
The report stated, ‘Group interview participants and individual interviewees were unanimous in their opinion that Swazis have a long way to go before they can talk candidly about sexual issues. However, media coverage of HIV AIDS has at least been able to bring the issue to people’s attention and respondents were united in their recognition that the country’s media has a role to play in addressing the epidemic.’
The report noted four factors that currently impede Swazi media in effectively communicating about and tackling HIV AIDS:
1 Lack of media legislation. The lack of a constitutional framework upholding freedom of speech and other relevant legislation severely restricts the media. There is currently little room for the amendment of domestic legislation to expressly provide for basic rights and freedoms for the sector.
2 Tensions between local laws and the role of the media in exporting information to the international media. Legislation prohibits the exporting of information that will place the country or the King in disrepute. For example, there was uproar at the international media’s coverage of the ranking of Swaziland as having the highest HIV prevalence in the world.
3 Customs and cultural traditions that result in self-censorship. The stigmatisation of HIV/AIDS in the Swazi community tends to lead traditional authorities to believe that public reporting of the epidemic is bringing the country into disrepute. This has been fostered by the restrictive legislation and repressive environment, particularly among print media professionals.
4 The capacity of the media. Reporters are not sufficiently educated and trained about different aspects of HIV/AIDS to write analytically. For example, the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Swaziland awards a diploma that is the highest qualification in the country, but the department is severely under-resourced and would benefit from continuous capacity building
The full report which includes case studies of South Africa, Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe as well as Swaziland is called Reporting AIDS: An analysis of media environments in Southern Africa and can be found here.
See also
BID TO IMPROVE HIV AIDS REPORTING
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