'Post' reporting on AIDS

'Post' reporting on AIDS

Dec. 1 is World AIDS Day. In recognition of this, I wish to propose that The Jakarta Post adopt a less prejudicial tone to its reporting of AIDS and AIDS-related issues.

It is regrettable that in 1995 your newspaper still refers to people with HIV or AIDS as "victims, sufferers and patients". The repeated use of these terms disempowers and denies dignity to HIV positive people. Victim implies notions of innocence and guilt, capability and blame, helplessness and hopelessness.

HIV positive people are not always, or necessarily, exhibiting signs of suffering. Their role and time as patients is of their own choosing and they are able to make informed decisions about the type and duration of treatments they may elect to undergo. They then get on with their lives. They are not terminal patients.

I urge you to drop the use of these pejorative and negative terms and show greater sensitivity to those amongst us who are HIV positive. People are living with HIV and AIDS and this is all the name they need. HIV positive people or people with AIDS have an important and valuable role in our communities.

The second change I advocate is that the Post refrain from constantly referring to HIV as "the deadly virus that causes AIDS". HIV invariably, but not always, does lead to AIDS. AIDS is deadly, HIV is not, in the same way, poverty may lead someone to crime, but poor people are not all criminals.

The confusion between HIV and AIDS is incorrect, fosters fear rather than knowledge and shows no concern for HIV positive people who do not need to be insistently reminded in their morning papers that the virus they carry is 'deadly'.

The consequences of HIV and AIDS for all of us, whether as individuals or as community members, are potent. Alarmist and misrepresentative reporting of the issue should be replaced by informative, empowering and compassionate journalism. How we speak about AIDS is how we act about AIDS.

E.J. REIS

Jakarta