Mediosysida is young journalists to improve information on HIV and AIDS in Spain

Barcelona, September 2011.- since that in 2006, Mediosysida made the first study about the treatment of HIV and AIDS in the media of Spain, this project continues to work with young journalists and future professionals of the communication in order to improve the social image of HIV through information published in the media. For this reason, on 24 October take place in Barcelona II workshop HIV / AIDS and young journalists in the 21st century, a space for dialogue, debate and reflection on the treatment of information about HIV and AIDS in the Spanish media.

When marks 30 years of the first case of AIDS in our country, even today the terminology of this disease still mistaking Spanish press; In addition, when we talk about AIDS, continues stigmatizing people and linking them with some vulnerable groups.

Maria Urrero, project coordinator, explains that to analyze the journalistic pieces has detected that it is the young journalists who make more mistakes in the language and tend to use discriminatory language when writing about HIV and AIDS. This fact, continuing Maria, has some logic because it is a specialized topic and unfortunately AIDS continues to be a socially stigmatized disease ”. Why Mediosysida, a project funded by the National Plan on AIDS, Ajuntament de Barcelona, Gilead and Merck, has focused for several years in the training of the younger in journalism. Is an investment in the short term to improve the information in the media ”, says Maria.

The second edition of this free workshop will have the presence of professionals of leading Spanish media such as El País and El Mundo, and will address HIV and AIDS with an informative approach from human rights ”. How to recognize and avoid the use of stigmatizing language; How to include the gender perspective when reports on pandemic or how to implement approaches innovators to keep the pandemic and its evolution in the calendar ” of the media, will be some of the issues that the young journalists participating in the workshop will be addressed throughout the day.

The workshop will be preceded a small event open to the media, in which the Mediosysida award II for young journalists, whose verdict will be announced on October 17 through the website of Mediosysida shall be granted.

Discriminatory language goes down

The use of discriminatory language in the media tends to diminish. Shown by the latest survey the treatment of HIV/AIDS in the media Spanish writings (2009-2010) ”, developed by the Institute of the communication of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (InCom-UAB) at the request of Mediosysida. The data who rebel in him especially refers to a change in the treatment of information as well as the selection of information and the sources used. Increases, for example, the presence of women as a central hub of information (from 23% to 30% in the last wave), in addition to being cited increasingly more as expert ” in the news fact.

It remains however, detecting the Synecdoche AIDS HIV ”, i.e., the misuse of the term AIDS want to talk about HIV. Although this impropriety has declined from 48% to 36% on the previous report, some of the main Spanish media are still incurring this error. The report as a possible cause of this confusion is the fact that the term AIDS is considered more attractive journalistically and therefore more efficient regardless of whether used with property, given that AIDS is not the same as HIV ”.

Mediosysida plans to launch this autumn a new awareness campaign to professionals in the media of the Spanish State about the importance of differentiating the terms HIV and AIDS as well as infection transmission.

Data from Workshop
date: Monday, October 24, 2011
place: Col·legi de Periodistes de Catalunya (Rambla de Catalunya 10, Barcelona)
hours: 10: 00 – 18: 00 (including coffee break and meal)
registration: free (limited places). Essential to fill in this registration form
travel scholarships: Mediosysida offers 5 travel grants for attending the workshop which come from outside of Barcelona (compulsory fill in and send application form before October 3).
For submission of entries: October 17, 2011 (3 October if eligible for one of the travel grants)

selection criteria:
> > college student of journalism, be conducting a course or training linked with journalism or be under 35 years of age journalist
> > live in the Spanish State
> > order of arrival of the inscriptions
> > Geographical representation
> > equitable representation by sex

Mediosysida is funded by: National Plan on AIDS, Ajuntament de Barcelona, Gilead, MSD.