ANALYSIS: Dailies should offer valuable HIV-coverage
Melissa Meyer
9 March 2012
At the end of last week the ANC announced its intentions to make HIV a notifiable disease. The divergent approaches taken by two news outlets covering the issue suggests that a major disparity exists in the quality of journalism between weekly and daily papers.
Whilst it sets aside a special box on page two, titled: “HIV disclosure should be compulsory: report”, Sowetan does little more than rehash the ANC’s statements. If anything, the “report” – essentially a mix of direct and indirect ANC quotes, casts a favourable light on making HIV a notifiable disease.
City Press on the other hand, despite taking a similar approach and quoting predominantly from the ANC’s proposal, manages to highlight the controversy inherent in this suggestion. Specifically, the article quotes sections in which the ANC indicates its awareness of the many counter-arguments that have been levelled at their suggestion.
Given the stigma that still plagues HIV, any proposal to make it notifiable warrants at least a discussion of the human rights dimension of the issue as well as some consideration of the constitutional implications.
That the two papers covered this suggestion so differently is hardly surprising. Sowetan’s daily deadlines offer journalists few opportunities to go beyond the basics. That said, one might expect that an exception could be made and more resources allocated where critically engaging with issues is clearly in the reader’s best interest.
Both daily and weekly publications have their place – where the former typically brings us basic news as it breaks and the latter is stronger on analysis and reflection of the week’s happenings. Regardless, news must possess a certain utility value for its readers and even daily newspapers should not be allowed to get away with simply reproducing quotes.
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