Aids and the News Media

Bibliographic Data

ID7509084
AuthorsDorothy Nelkin (corresponding author)
Year1991
Volume69
Issue2
Pages293-293
Publication date1991-01-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueMilbank Quarterly (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0887-378X • E-ISSN: 1468-0009
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.2307/3350206
OpenAlexW4317926668
LanguageEN
Citations received21

This article is about how AIDS is reported in newspapers and popular\nmagazines. I am focusing on the print media because they are a major source of\nnews about AIDS, for television conveys mainly images, often through\nfictionalized accounts. As background, I will first review some general\ncharacteristics of risk reporting, suggesting how the norms and practices of\njournalism, the technical uncertainties of risk evaluation, and the pressures\napplied by various advocacy groups influence the news. I will illustrate how\nthese pressures and constraints have affected the coverage of AIDS. Finally,\nusing the case of AIDS, I will draw from studies of risk communication to\nsuggest the influence of the print media on public perceptions, personal\nbehavior, and policy agendas; that is, on the issues of concern to David\nWillis [editor of the

Media studies · News media · Sociology · Media Studies and Communication