Media Coverage of HIV/AIDS and TB Issues in Ethiopia: Challenges and Opportunities

According to this 46-page paper, published by Panos Eastern Africa, tuberculosis (TB), particularly the science of HIV and TB co-infection, is highly neglected in terms of media coverage in Ethiopia. Panos Eastern Africa. In collaboration with Panos Ethiopia, a rapid review was conducted of media coverage of HIV and AIDS/TB co-infections in Ethiopia with the objective of identifying challenges and opportunities in improving reporting on these issues. The report states that public awareness and clear understanding of these diseases are crucial to minimising the devastating impact of HIV and AIDS and TB co-infections, and the media are a strategic resource in shaping and influencing public attitudes. The study found that there is an urgent need for a well-informed, reliable, and vigilant media to enhance the flow of HIV and AIDS/TB information to Ethiopian audiences.

A content analysis of four national newspapers - two daily and two weekly (Addis Zemen, The Ethiopian Herald, Reporter, and Addis Neger) - was carried out over a one-year period spanning January 1 2008 to December 31 2008. This yielded a total of 834 editions to be scrutinised. These four newspapers carried 378 HIV and AIDS related articles. Addis Zemen newspaper (the daily) published more articles (198, or 42%) compared to The Ethiopian Herald (180, or 37%), Reporter (Amharic weekly) (99, or 20.6%), and Addis Neger (Amharic weekly) (2, or 0.41%). In terms of space, however, the Addis Zemen devoted 53,014 cm2 of space to HIV- and AIDS-related articles, compared to 481 cm2 in Addis Neger. Overall, HIV and AIDS stories were treated as pretty routine, and 42% of the articles were placed in inside pages (only 7% of the news had been placed on the front pages).

The study found that the articles mainly focused on the issues of prevalence (29%) and prevention (22%). Workplace issues were rarely covered (4%). The Addis Zemen newspaper covered prevention and treatment as major issues (25.2%) as well as awareness with 17.9%. It also gave attention to misconceptions (18.8%) and workplace (5%) issues and HIV and AIDS prevalence (5%). The research found that Addis Zemen had not given significant attention to issues such as HIV and AIDS politics and medical costs (0%). Most of the stories were found to be constructive and informative, yet a significant proportion of them could only be characterised as being of average quality.

Interviews with concerned journalists and editors elicited cynicism about coverage of public health issues. The research showed that there is a feeling of story fatigue among some editors and journalists about HIV and AIDS. They commented that "HIV and AIDS/TB stories do not sell and entice audiences."

The study noted the following general observations:

• The media coverage of HIV and AIDS and TB issues in Ethiopia is not sufficiently consistent and based on well-planned activities of the newsrooms. The coverage is highly event-driven and does not reflect a genuine interest on the part of the media houses to report on the issues with analytical depth. It falls short of providing human interest stories which show the consequences of the epidemics on individuals and families.
• Little emphasis was given to the placement of HIV and AIDS and TB issues. Mostly, they appeared on inside pages - showing a lack of attention by the media.
• The coverage is focused on prevalence and awareness issues, and reporters depend on government institutions as major sources for the stories.
• Journalists lack experience, knowledge, and resources to pursue stories on these issues.
• TB issues were considerably neglected by the newspapers and editorial staff members.
• There are no coherent newsroom policies about sustaining coverage and no special health desks/health beats or columns dedicated to the subject of HIV and AIDS and TB.
• Journalists face institutional, professional, and cultural and leadership challenges in covering HIV and AIDS and TB.

Based on the findings, the study recommends the following:

• It is crucial for the media houses to incorporate HIV and AIDS and TB co-infection coverage in their editorial policies.
• There is a need to sensitise media managers and owners to the need to establish health desks or beats within their newsrooms and regular health columns in their publications.
• Newspapers need institutional support as well as practical resources to serve the needs of their audiences in covering HIV and AIDS/TB co-infections.
• The introduction of media forums, competitions, awards, and sponsorships would be effective ways to encourage journalists and media houses to produce quality reporting on the issue.
• The quality of coverage can be improved by enhancing the technical training of journalists.