Media Should Avoid Focusing Only on HIV/AIDS, Increase Coverage of TB, Malaria in Africa, Production Manager Says

Media outlets should avoid focusing only on HIV/AIDS and should increase their coverage of tuberculosis and malaria in Africa, Simon Seisa, a Botswana television production manager and HIV/AIDS advocate, said at a workshop last week, Botswana's Mmegi reports. The workshop was organized by Maisha Yetu -- which means "Our Lives" in Swahili -- a group created by the International Women's Media Foundation with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The workshop was part of the group's efforts to improve reporting on HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria in Africa. Seisa said the media should "avoid AIDS fatigue" and work to educate the public about disease support and care facilities, as well as help to reduce the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS. In addition, Setshwano Mokgweetsinyana, a senior health official in Botswana's Ministry of Health, said that local press in the country "has done badly in covering malaria," according to Mmegi. Richard Matlhare of Botswana's National AIDS Coordinating Agency suggested a media language guide for reporting on HIV/AIDS that would include instruction to avoid terms such as "prostitutes, AIDS sufferers and victims" to prevent "bias" in media stories, according to Mmegi (Chwaane, Mmegi, 3/16).