HIV in the media. Research on the coverage of HIV and AIDS in Spanish-speaking online media in Latin America, the Caribbean and Spain

Abstract

This article presents the design, results and conclusions of the research on the coverage of HIV and AIDS in Spanish-speaking online media in Latin America, the Caribbean and Spain. In the first place, a context is revealed about the need for the study, its relevance in terms of eliminating barriers generated by stigma and discrimination, the importance of the social responsibility of the media, as well as the recognition of works previous on the subject. The research methodology is based on content analysis, with a wide list of variables in order to obtain quantitative data that serve as fundamental support to respond to the appropriate and inappropriate use of language in journalistic coverage of HIV and AIDS. The analysis includes 20 countries, 19 from Spanish-speaking Latin America: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Republic Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela and one from Europe: Spain. The results are made up of the analysis of 1,726 news items from 110 online media, having as the focus of the study, the 5,480 mentions found to HIV or AIDS. These data conclude that HIV is the protagonist of the analyzed content, where topics such as treatment, prevention or diagnosis have the highest levels of visibility, as do the populations of children, women and young people. Connections can also be made between coverage of HIV or AIDS with that of tuberculosis, hepatitis or syphilis, and little interest in linking HIV or AIDS to drug use. The study shows that the media and their journalists are generating content with a greater use of appropriate words, according to the guides for journalists and media, although close to this level we find the use of incorrect language. The study reveals the difference in coverage by country and establishes that there should be a greater effort to train the media and journalists for continuous improvement in writing and therefore in the possible elimination of stigma and discrimination generated by the inappropriate use of language when referring to HIV or AIDS.