Monday, March 29, 2010

Workshop calls for sensitivity on reporting HIV/AIDS

A day-long media workshop on HIV/AIDS has called for application of utmost sensitivity and adhering to Press Council's guidelines on reporting issues related to HIV/AIDS.

The workshop "Building perspectives on HIV/AIDS", jointly organised by Dimapur Press Club, Centre for Advocacy and Research and Nagaland State AIDS Control Society (NSACS) and supported by UNDP Initiative at Dimapur yesterday also insisted that media needs updating on various issues such as sigma, discrimination, gender bias, human rights when concerning HIV/AIDS.

Highlighting on the response of media to HIV/AIDS problem in Nagaland, DPC president Dilip Sharma urged that media in the state needed to move beyond reporting on events, facts and figures on the issue.

"It is the duty of media to do more investigations with regards to the disease, societal responses and its impact in the society," he said.

Aarthi Pai, head of programme at Centre for Advocacy and Research, urged journalists to keep constant updating on the terminologies in the case of reporting on HIV/AIDS.

Referring to a number of words, frequently used in media, which are now considered "derogatory and sensitive" she suggested the journalists to avoid them.

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