Help Stop Media HIV Bias
posted: 06/04/2009
People living with HIV are being encouraged to help stop the media bias around HIV, by joining National Aids Trust's (NAT) new Press Gang.
If you get angry when HIV is sensationalised or misrepresented in the media, want to respond somehow and set the record straight, or make your own statement, NAT's Press Gang could help you make your voice heard.
Press Gang is an online group of people living with HIV who are interested in improving how the media portrays HIV, and the people it affects.
How could I help?
By joining Press Gang you will be helped to challenge the media. You will get
• Stigma Alerts by email with links to discriminatory news stories as and when they break to enable you to respond quickly and easily
• Weekly updates on the latest stories about HIV in the media
• Support and advice on contacting journalists, contributing to web discussions and debates, making a complaint, sharing your stories and writing letters to the editor.
This is an online group supported by NAT designed to make it easier for people living with HIV to have a say in how the media talks about HIV and the people living with it.
Quickly and simply you can use a home PC, (or PDA, iPhones, public computers), from almost anywhere and help by telling the media what you think.
The NAT Communications Team already keep a daily watch on national and regional press and they will give you the weblinks to any discriminatory news stories. Some days and weeks there is nothing wrong that needs challenging, other times there's a rush, when an HIV story gets picked up by newspapers around the country.
It is really important to respond to bad press immediately. This is where the Press Gang is essential. The most effective means of challenging stereotypes and changing the public’s attitude around HIV is for the media to hear from people living with HIV.
Interested?
Want to do more to improve the public’s attitude towards HIV and people living with HIV?
Sign Up with NAT as an online NAT Press Gang member (confidentially) and NAT will take it from there, by providing you with written guidance, helpful hints and a regular point of contact at NAT for questions and support. Sign up by email or call 020 7814 6730.
Need More Information?
To find out more email Brad Hepburn, NAT's Community Advocacy Coordinator.
NAT has a web page of advice for journalists and editors and publishes media guidelines too.
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