The New York Times recently issued a meā culpā for its disastrous failure to adequately cover the emergence of the AIDS crisis in the early days of the epidemic. In many ways the newspaper helped to fuel the stigma still lingering today with their coverage that often included incorrect information or unsubstantiated claims about the disease. Its news miscarriages also included not reporting timely on the emerging crisis as it unfolded, or tucking the stories in the back of the newspaper.[1] Unfortunately, aside from the positive (pun intended) emergence of today's HIV-focused news outlets — such as The Body, HIV Plus Magazine, POZ Magazine, to name a few — people living with HIV/AIDS have continually been let down by the mainstream news media.
"The New York Times had a spotty record of covering the AIDS epidemic in the early 1980s — and gay culture in general. Times staffers reflect on the paper’s past, and what we can learn from it today."[2]Larry Kramer, one of the most iconic figures in the fight against HIV/AIDS, described the Times' coverage in the early days as nothing less than homophobic. In fact, Kramer's assessment of the newspaper included a blistering indictment because "many millions are dead from a plague that the Times wouldn’t warn the world about.”[3]
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| Photo Source: NY Magazine |
The New York Times wasn't the only culprit fueling HIV-related stigma among the mainstream news media in the 1980s, as was recently documented by HIV Plus Magazine's exposé on the infamous "patient zero" myth. The article, 'Patient Zero': Correcting the Record on a Media-Made Gay AIDS Villain, systematically dissects how Gaëtan Dugas was created into a monster by legacy news outlets, such as Time® Magazine, CBS News' 60 Minutes, and the New York Post.
The 1990s would prove no different. Who could forget the spotty, stigma-fueled news reporting on the HIV diagnosis of the legendary NBA basketball player Earvin “Magic” Johnson in 1991, as well as the death of the Godfather of Gangsta rap, Eric Lynn Wright (better known by his stage name Eazy-E) in 1995.
The long history of checkered reporting by the mainstream news media made it more difficult to dispel the myths surrounding the disease. It fact, systemically poor so-called "reporting" enabled bigots like former U.S. Senator Jesse Helms to demonize people living with HIV/AIDS in the 1980s-1990s, and Vice President Mike Pence to propose morally bankrupt ideas in 2000.
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| Photo Source: Andrew Kaczynski's Twitter Feed |
In 2010, only crickets could be heard when over 10,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in 13 states were placed on waiting lists to access their life saving medications under the AIDS Drug Assistance Program ("ADAP"). Why? Because the mainstream news media barely addressed the public health crisis. At the time, not a single national television broadcast segment by ABC, CBS or NBC covered the ADAP Crisis, as it would be termed. If not for some mainstream news media journalists, such as op-ed columnist Charles M. Blow, then the advocacy to secure the necessary funding would have been even more difficult.
The trend has continued today, with virtually no reporting on the discriminatory design behind HIV treatment in the Affordable Care Act ("ACA") marketplace. Whereas overall people living with HIV/AIDS have been well-served by the ACA, there are still many shortcomings not being covered by the mainstream news media.
It is hard to look back over the years and not come away with the conclusion that the mainstream news media has a long history of failing the HIV community. As a result it has made advocacy even harder!
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[1] Soller, Kurt (2018, April 27). Six Times Journalists on the Paper’s History of Covering AIDS and Gay Issues. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/27/t-magazine/times-journalists-aids-gay-history.html.
[2] Soller, Kurt (2018, April 27). Six Times Journalists on the Paper’s History of Covering AIDS and Gay Issues. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/27/t-magazine/times-journalists-aids-gay-history.html.
[3] Artavia, David (2018, May 4). The New York Times Apologizes for Ignoring AIDS. HIV Plus Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.hivplusmag.com/stigma/2018/5/04/new-york-times-apologizes-ignoring-aids.
[4] Broverman, Neal (2018, May 15). 'Patient Zero': Correcting the Record on a Media-Made Gay AIDS Villain. HIV Plus Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.hivplusmag.com/stigma/2018/5/14/patient-zero-correcting-record-media-made-gay-aids-villain.
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