IFJ Asia and Africa Regional Workshop
July 25-26, 2006
Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Recommendations for reporting on HIV/AIDS

Media professionals and media organisations need to develop
strategies that strengthen the role of media in providing
information on all aspects of HIV and AIDS.

The key recommendations in the area of HIV and AIDS for
journalists and media organisations include:
 Training
 Awareness raising
 Agenda setting
 Greater involvement of people living with HIV and AIDS
 Education
 Self-regulation of the media
 Media as watchdog – monitoring actions
 Building networks – cooperation
 Expanding sources of information
 Resources for journalists
 HIV/AIDS as a workplace issue

1 Training for journalists and media educationa) That media and journalists’ organisations should institute
wide-ranging, regular and sustained training for journalists
and editors on HIV and AIDS reporting.
b) Ethical questions should have a higher profile in
journalists’ training, particularly with regard to standards of
conduct in reporting issues on HIV and AIDS, incorporating
the concerns of vulnerable and marginalised groups, and
including greater involvement of People Living With HIV
and AIDS (PLWAs) in training programs and resources.

2 Creating conditions for professional journalism
a) Governments and relevant authorities should work with
media and other civil society groups to create a legal and
cultural framework for professional journalism, including
freedom of information legislation and respect for
independent journalism.
b) Media professionals should recognise that freedom of
expression must go hand in hand with other fundamental
human rights, including freedom from exploitation and
intimidation.
c) Dialogue between media organisations, journalists and
programme makers and relevant groups within civil society
should be supported to highlight problems and concerns
and to give a better understanding of the needs of
journalists and media when reporting HIV/AIDS issues.
d) National NGOs should consider compiling a directory of
reliable experts on HIV and AIDS and related topics, to be
distributed to media. Such information could also be
accessible on computer databases.
e) National and international NGOs should consider adopting
ethical guidelines that promote transparent dealing with
media and reject corruption.

3 Codes of Conduct and self regulation
a) Codes of conduct and reporting guidelines on HIV and
AIDS should be adopted by media and journalists
organisations. Such codes are weapons in the hands of
journalists and campaigners who can use them to take up
issues with editors, publishers and broadcasters.
b) Country specific guidelines on HIV and AIDS reporting
should be drawn up by professional associations to
accompany their general ethical codes.
c) Media should avoid, or challenge, the myths and
stereotypes that surround people living with HIV and AIDS.
d) Journalists should aim to give PLWAs a voice in media, and
should never publish details that put people at risk.

4 The need for newsroom debate
a) A constructive and supportive debate should be encouraged
between media professionals about reporting HIV and
AIDS, and the use of images of people living with HIV and
AIDS, including children. Such dialogue should take place
between media managers and editorial departments.
b) Media editors and managers should implement a policy
which makes clear their opposition to biased and
sensationalist coverage of HIV/AIDS, and their support for
high ethical standards among journalists and programme
makers. This could be done through the guidelines, which
should be implemented and monitored.

Action by journalist unions on HIV and AIDS:
 To provide forums for discussion of professional issues
relating to HIV/AIDS and the media for journalists in the
region, through regional and national courses, building on
the models currently being developed by the IFJ, through
the support of national governments and NGOs,
 To adopt and disseminate to all newsrooms and
journalists guidelines for reporting HIV and AIDS,
 To demand that media organisations adopt workplace
strategies/policies to address the issue of HIV and AIDS for
journalists as workers, including demands for counselling
and treatment,
 To demand that media organisations adopt policies that
reject stigma and discrimination for HIV positive journalists
in the workplace,
 To adopt and promote the ILO’s Code of Conduct on
HIV/AIDS in the world of work,
 To ensure that policies that reflect the principles of the
ILO Code of Conduct are incorporated into collective
bargaining agreements,
 To develop in-country action plans on the work that will
be done on HIV/AIDS issues and share these with other
affiliates,
 To collect and distribute among journalists examples of
best practice in reporting on HIV/AIDS,
 To translate and adapt to local conditions the HIV/AIDS
media guide and training materials into major languages of
the region and to distribute these materials to every
newsroom,
 To work with local NGOs to provide media training, to
better enhance their ability to represent their views, and
the views of the people living with HIV/AIDS they
represent, to the media in their country,
 To demand sustained and regular workplace training for
journalists and editors reporting on HIV/AIDS,
 To organise meetings for journalists’ organisations and
HIV experts in each country to promote co-operation and
national action,
 To recognise outstanding journalism in the area of
HIV/AIDS reporting through an annual journalism award
for journalists in the region,
 To examine new ways and methods of working on the
issue of journalism and HIV/AIDS in order to widen the
scope of reporting which will raise awareness and mobilise
public opinion,
 To consider the role of media monitoring by national
unions to identify both best practice but also the problems
in reporting,
 To consider implementing guidelines around a number of
stories or level of HIV reporting in order to raise the
number of stories, their placement and quality,
 To hold a follow-up regional conference to review progress
in the implementation of this programme of work at a
national and regional level within three years.

Cambodia, July 25-26, 2006