The media has an important role to play in providing information to form the
perceptions of media users on HIV/Aids. Furthermore, the media has an agenda
setting function through which it determines what news consumers think about, and
how they think about these topics they are presented with.
Extensive media coverage has been given to the subject of HIV/Aids since
the start of the pandemic. The nature of the coverage has, however, been widely
criticised, mainly by interest groups actively involved in the fight against the disease.
Few formal guidelines exist to guide journalists in this field. Moreover, the
existing guidelines that originated mainly from the gaps interest groups identified in
the coverage on HIV/Aids, are fairly fragmented. Many newspapers follow the
general guidelines set by the media industry for ethical news reporting. These
guidelines, such as the ethical code of the Press Ombudsman, are a result of self regulation,
which is intrinsic to the social responsibility model that is seen as ideal for
South Africa. There are several existing codes offering guidance regarding
professional standards and general conduct. Only one - that of the now inactive
South African Union of Journalists - includes criteria on HIV/Aids reporting. Through
formulating guidelines, interest groups have an agenda setting function and a
subsequent potential influence on the media and the public agenda.
This paper endeavours to analyse and systematically summarise criteria set
by the interest groups for ethically acceptable and accountable HIV/Aids reporting
against the background of the agenda setting theory and the social responsibility
model. In addition, HIV/Aids reporting in three Sunday papers (the Sunday Times,
Sunday Sun and Rapport) is verified against these interest group criteria to ascertain
how it measures up, and to determine whether a separate interest group code of
ethics is desirable.
It was found that the Sunday Times views HIV/Aids as a news priority, while
the topic does not feature very high on the agenda of the other two papers. The
analysis of news items created the impression that journalists have a basic
knowledge of HIV/Aids. However, there is little evidence of deeper insight into the
potential impact the media could have on the public's perception of the epidemic.
Existing ethics codes compare well to interest group guidelines where general
professional standards and ethical aspects are concerned. The interest group
guidelines, however, focus on specific problems associated with the epidemic, such
as stigma and a tendency to focus on the negative. It is within this applied context
that such criteria could be useful. / Thesis (M.A. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NWUBOLOKA1/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/981 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Swanepoel, Thalyta |
| Publisher | North-West University |
| Source Sets | North-West University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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