(July 13, 2007) Meeting at an Internews Europe workshop for editors last month, over 40 media leaders from across Vietnam agreed to work together to reduce stigma and discrimination in HIV reporting. They also agreed to promote more frequent and responsible coverage of HIV/AIDS by their journalists.
“Media play a pivotal role in HIV/AIDS prevention in our country,” said Vietnamese Deputy Minister Do Quy Doan in his opening remarks. “Perhaps no other sector has such incredible power as the media to raise awareness among people of the negative impacts of stigma and discrimination towards people living with HIV, and to change people’s risky behaviors.”
The editors’ workshop, “Reducing Stigma and Discrimination in the Media in Vietnam,” held in Hanoi on June 18, was organized as part of Internews Europe’s program to improve media coverage of HIV/AIDS in the Mekong Delta, funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID).
The diverse group of media leaders represented provinces that are considered hot spots for HIV/AIDS. Participants came from 35 newspapers, three radio stations and two TV stations. At the workshop, people living with HIV (PLHIV) from the Vietnam office of Health Policy Initiative, an international NGO, described how stigma and discrimination, including in media coverage, inhibit the prevention and care of HIV/AIDS.
According to a representative from Health Policy Initiative, which has analyzed Vietnamese media coverage of PLHIV, “Only a fraction of the articles on PLHIV reflected the positive way in which people were coping with the disease, for example, the issues involved in maintaining employment, participating in family life and being active members of the community. Newspaper constructions of PLHIVs in many cases reinforce the image of people living with HIV/AIDS as a ‘social evil’ or morally corrupt.”
Speaking of the representatives from the Health Policy Initiative, one editor said, “It was inspiring to meet two people who are so alive and productive after 13 years and 24 years of living with HIV. This has made me understand that we need not fear HIV, as people can live for a long time and be part of the community.”
Co-chaired by Deputy Minister Do Quy Doan and the Head of the Press Department for the Ministry of Culture and Information, Hoang Huu Luong , the meeting offered one of the first opportunities for media executives to hear firsthand from the government about stigma and discrimination according to Vietnam’s 2006 law on AIDS, and to discuss the importance of more responsible reporting on HIV/AIDS.
Some newspaper editors, especially those from the provinces, reported that in the past they considered HIV/AIDS stories to be a low priority, but this workshop had changed their minds. The editors and managers also requested further training on HIV reporting for both journalists and senior editorial and management staff.
During the final session of the day, editors identified and discussed challenges to improved reporting on HIV, such as lack of access to accurate information about the epidemic; lack of training; limited access to experts; difficulty addressing cultural norms; and ethical dilemmas, such as the tension between the need to respect confidentiality and the need to provide a platform for PLHIV.
The session concluded with the editors each making five commitments to reduce stigma and discrimination in HIV reporting by their stations and newspapers. They agreed to provide more information on HIV/AIDS, especially on its socio-economic impacts; to organize HIV/AIDS writing contest for reporters; to establish media clubs and fora including journalists, PLHIV, and other experts; to avoid sensationalizing stories on HIV; and to reach out to PLHIVs to encourage them to write articles about themselves, or to serve as sources so reporters can better report on the “human face” of HIV in Vietnam.
Guest speakers at the editor’s workshop included Dr. Trinh Quan Hua, the Deputy Minister for Health; Dr. Chu Quoc An from the Vietnam Administration of HIV/AIDS Control and General Director of AIDS and Community magazine; and Heather Kelly, a veteran international producer from Asiaworks Television specializing in HIV programming. David Hoffman, President of Internews Network, also participated in the meeting.
The editor’s workshop followed a five-day Internews training for print and radio journalists on covering HIV/AIDS, and three four-day trainings on “Getting Your Message Across” for PLHIV from the Bright Futures Network, the Health Policy Initiative and VICOM-C with associated networks.
As a result of these training activities, participating journalists produced more than 30 stories for their newspapers and radio stations on issues of stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV.
