Brito Lemus A, Contreras A, Figueroa M, Medina Trejo A; International Conference on AIDS (15th : 2004 : Bangkok, Thailand).
Int Conf AIDS. 2004 Jul 11-16; 15: abstract no. E11011.
Letra S, Sida, Cultura y Vida Cotidiana A. C., Mexico, Mexico
Issue: HIV/AIDS related stigma is one of the main obstacles in the control of the epidemic. Nevertheless, we know little of its impact and the way it operates in society. There have been therefore few interventions designed to inactivate it. Mass media may be important allies in the fight against stigma. It is thus necessary to know the levels of stigma which appear in the media in order to design suitable interventions aimed at reducing it. Description: All along the year 2002, printed media in Mexico was thoroughly monitored in order to detect and measure stigma levels. With the results, a program was designed to sensitize journalists and media professionals on stigma and HIV/AIDS. 18 journalists were selected in the monitored media from those who published the largest number of stigmatizing articles, and a pilot test was undertaken on the designed program. A photojournal was also designed of openly HIV positive people as a supporting tool in the journalistic work and as a model in the unprejudiced covering of personal stories. Lessons learned: Although the levels of stigma found in the monitored media were scarce, we detected a very low presence and poor representation of people living with AIDS. So the program of sensitization was designed to motivate journalists to increase and improve the publication of life stories of people willing to quit anonymity in order to fight against stigma. This program revealed its efficiency as it offered journalists a different perspective of the epidemic, the one of HIV positive people. It was also found that images of PLWA appearing with covered or veiled faces may reinforce stigma instead of inactivating it. Recommendations: To design programs to develop PLWA's skills in the handling of media in order to increase and improve their public presence, and as a strategy aimed at deactivating HIV related stigma.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
- HIV Infections
- HIV Seropositivity
- Mass Media
- Mexico
- Poverty
- education
- methods
Other ID:
UI: 102278705
From Meeting Abstracts