HIV/AIDS takes positive turn in the media

Reporting on HIV/AIDS has taken a positive turn in South African newspapers, a recent panel discussion at the Nelson Mandela-foundation concluded. According to PANOS, a London-based advocacy NGO, HIV/AIDS media coverage in most of southern Africa had changed over the last decade from a focus on fear to stories of hope. The South African Press Association quoted PANOS researcher Johanna Heneveld as saying, "There has also been a change in the language and imagery of HIV/AIDS reporting, from things like 'victims' to 'people living with AIDS', and from 'killer disease' to 'AIDS pandemic'." Heneveld described media reporting as "probably the most powerful tool to take HIV/AIDS away from being seen as a remote disease, through to the daily reality it is in our society".