HIV/Aidsberichtgeving in vier lokale kranten in Zuid-Afrika : de Carletonville Herald, Potchefstroom Herald en NoordWes Gazette, en de Klerksdorp Record

Abstract

This research paper investigates the functions of community newspapers in the battle against HIV/Aids. The research is conducted through studying literature, analysing four selected community newspapers and interviewing the editors of the newspapers. According to the literature, a community newspaper stands closer to the reader than any other newspaper, which means it could have a larger impact than for example a national paper. A community paper can provide information or start a debate in the community. The media can focus the attention of the reader on HIV/Aids through agenda setting. By giving the subject prominence in a publication, for instance, the media show how important they consider the subject. The functions of the press can be divided in different categories: the informative function, the press as a booster of the public debate, the service function, the educative function and the entertainment function. This study finds that not all the researched newspapers consider it their responsibility to cover HIV/Aids. The importance that the editors give to the subject and the number of articles that reaches the publication also does not match. The functions the newspapers mainly fulfil, are the information and education function. The reasons for a moderate coverage of HIV/Aids include a lack of statistics, a lack of information from organisations, staff shortages and fear that the reader will receive the opinion that the newspaper writes about the same things over and over again.