Letter to the editor. Re: India Today article

[Guest guest]

Dear Editor (<letters.editor@...>

Your Cover story on AIDS. Great effort. Well researched.

But some thoughts below, all of which need further conversation, but i am making

it all brief, since you must be pressed for time.

But the emphasis on sex workers, the first 2 paragraphs with phrases like 'giant

reservoirs of the deadly virus' - tended to stigmatise sex workers. One of the

responses to HIV is necessarily to remove the stigma from these women - that

will be a step towards making it possible for them to negotiate safer sex.

Next, I was wondering if you did take the consent of the people whose

photographs you have published. Using photographs of positive people makes good

visual impact but can create havoc in the lives of people. I hope you

understand...

Again, there was no mention anywhere that you were using changed names. Were

you?

There was a particular picture of a hospice with someone who looked like a

nurse, wearing a face mask and gloves. A picture like this can also make the

reader wonder if HIV spreads through thin air, or by touch. We need to very

careful that such a picture can undo a lot of positive learning in the minds of

readers.

The reason i flag some of the above issues, is that, reporting on HIV is always

a lot different from reporting on other 'soft stories'. The reason it is

different is the stigma attached to the condition. We all need to very mindful

that nothing we write or publish or broadcast , should in the mildest way, add

to the stigma around the condition or the people who are affected by the virus.

India Today is our premier magazine, and we hope to see in depth articles on the

myriad aspects of HIV even without the " World AIDS Day " news peg! In the service

of the nation...they say!!

best regards

mona mishra ,positive life

Delhi

E-mail: Mishra " <plife@...>

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