Social Media - Talking About HIV

posted: 14/02/2011

All is not lost in the world of raising HIV awareness.  I Talk Because ....  is a cheap-as-chips community HIV awareness social media campaign in the USA. People shoot and upload their own video clips saying why they talk to other people about HIV.
 

It began in 2009 as a way to put HIV back onto New York people's radars. Going Viral Against HIV and STIs was the first social media conference looking to exploit the potential for HIV of social media and I talk because is just one example. 
 

Dozens of celebrities and others have now uploaded videos with thousands of views. This led Mashable.com, a social media news site, to make ‘I talk because ….’ one of the top five YouTube projects that are ‘making a difference’.

The ‘I Talk because …’ campaign debunks HIV myths and gives the facts, not just amongst peers, but across generations. It encourages conversations within families. And ultimately a willingness to talk is worthwhile because it breaks down boundaries and stigma.

"The stories of real people, and of how HIV has affected their lives, is a powerful way to bring home the message that HIV has not gone away, and that HIV continues its assault every day."
 

Cheap as chips

Another reason to like this campaign: the cheap-as-chips cost. The recent USA federal government’s campaign It's Never Just HIV cost $726,000 but "I Talk Because ..." is almost free because all the videos are user-generated. And it provides dozens of individual meaningful messages.
 

We should have more campaigns like this because it helps people realise that it's OK to talk about HIV. Talking encourages testing, and cuts HIV stigma and blame.
 

Upload vids to I talk because here

Press Apology from Daily Mail

posted: 10/11/2010

Here's a success story. Complaints from people with HIV to the Daily Mail about its inaccurate and stigmatising report about supposed HIV risks to a toddler pricked by discarded needles while at a New York, USA, hospital have ended with a correction and apology being published.

The report contained a remarkable three major mistakes

• It wrongly suggested the girl might have to wait six months for a HIV test, when modern tests can give an accurate diagnoses from a month after potential infection
• There has never been a case of a person being infected with HIV from a discarded needle
• Also HIV is no longer a 'death sentence,' as new treatments mean that people diagnosed with HIV nowadays, if treated early, can expect a near normal life expectancy. 

Join Press Gang if you would like to help

If you want to help end stigma and false information about HIV in the press, you can join NAT's Press Gang. 

NAT monitors the press daily for reports that are inaccurate or stigmatising towards people living with HIV. Press gang members, people living with HIV, challenge any inaccurate and stigmatising media coverage and provide a human face to HIV in the UK.

Press Gang is a group of people living with HIV working together, with support from NAT, to improve how the media portrays HIV and people living with HIV.

Press Gang members are alerted to stigmatising coverage and given advice on contacting journalists, making a complaint, getting a letter to the editor published, and sharing your story.

Please email Press Gang for more information about joining.
 

Dail Mail

21st Century Press Guidelines

posted: 13/08/2010

The media reporting of HIV is often wrong and negative. New detailed Guidelines for Reporting HIV are out today to help editors and journalists write well about HIV in the UK.

The guidelines dispel common myths about HIV, provide up-to-date information and tell journalists where to go for more information.

The new guidelines, from NAT (National AIDS Trust), are backed by the National Union of Journalists, the Press Complaints Commission, and the Society of Editors.
 

Accurate, up to date, respectful

HIV has changed a lot in recent years. Testing and treatment, quality of life and life expectancy are radically better. The guidelines help journalists report about HIV in the 21st century. For example, it is no longer correct to suggest that HIV is a death sentence, that HIV automatically leads to AIDS, or that you must wait three or six months for a test, all of which have been said in recent news reports.
 

Deborah Jack, Chief Executive of NAT, says “The public get a lot of their knowledge about HIV from the press, so it is important journalists get it right. Accurate reporting benefits public health, dispels myths, undermines prejudice and increases understanding. We hope these guidelines will help journalists update their knowledge about HIV in the 21st century.”
 

News Mistakes

NAT monitors the press for inaccurate coverage about HIV. Some of the most common mistakes journalists make include suggesting there is a risk of HIV infection from discarded needles, biting, or spitting, reports often treat HIV and AIDS as if they are the same thing, and suggest HIV is deadly.
 

Graham Dudman, Managing Editor at The Sun, ensures his staff use the guidelines. He says:
“At The Sun we pride ourselves on getting the facts right and staying up to date. This can be a challenge in sensitive areas like HIV. NAT's guidelines for journalists are very useful, really simple to work with and lay out all the facts reporters need.”

George House Trust hopes The Sun reports HIV responsibly in future – in June its front page was a scare-mongering report suggesting British troops could get HIV from old needles or razor blades in Afghanistan. It published this on the front page, despite including a comment from NAT denying the claim that troops could be infected in this way. There was no HIV risk to troops but The Sun still printed the story, and on the front page. This was then repeated elsewhere, including on BBC radio.

Stephen Abell, Director of the Press Complaints Commission said "While public and media understanding of HIV and AIDS has improved, it remains vital that the press takes particular care when reporting on these issues - both by being accurate and by respecting the privacy of those who live with either condition. The PCC has a clear role to play in resolving complaints, upholding and improving standards, and providing a public service to those who have concerns about the press."

Download the Guidelines for Reporting HIV 
 

The Sun - 'We've All Got HIV'

posted: 26/11/2009

Today’s Sun newspaper headline – ‘We've all got HIV... it's not the death sentence that it used to be’ may surprise some of us, because of the Sun’s often bad reporting of HIV. We welcome the conversion of HIV stigma sinners. There's still some room for improvement - the sub-heading is negative ('it's not the death sentence that it used to be'), although all three people's personal stories are positive about getting on with the rest of their lives.

The Sun's report and headline are about three people describing about their HIV experiences. There’s Steve Unsworth, 43, who was diagnosed aged 27 in Manchester, but now lives in London; Gary Whitaker, 33, a Londoner diagnosed last year; and Sarah Richards, 30 who lives in the Midlands and was diagnosed during her pregnancy.

LOOKING at the pictures of these three healthy-looking Brits, which one would you guess has HIV?
The answer is ALL of them.
The viral illness - which can lead to AIDS - is no longer as problematic to treat as it was 20 years ago. A person diagnosed in the UK today can expect to live into their 70s.
More Brits than ever are living with HIV - passed on through unprotected sex or sharing needles. Yet, shockingly, more than one in four DON'T realise they have the virus.
In the week leading up to World Aids Day next Tuesday, doctors and celebs are calling for greater awareness of the illness.
At a recent star-studded Aids gala hosted by Sir Elton John, 62, the singer said: "We are finding that too many young people are not listening to what we are saying. I'm afraid people get a little complacent about the disease by going out and having unsafe sex."
Although HIV is traditionally associated with the gay community, cases among heterosexuals are increasing in the UK.
Deborah Jack, chief executive of National Aids Trust (NAT) said: "Too often I meet people who thought HIV only affected 'other people'. But sadly they found out the reality when they were diagnosed themselves. Everyone needs to be aware of HIV and make sure they protect themselves and others."
Here, we speak to three Brits about the reality of living with HIV.
 

Source

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.