Ethics and Language

Chapter 6 of The [European Union] EU-India Media Initiative's HIV/AIDS Media Manual is titled Ethics and Language. It is one of nine chapters in this resource, which has the objectives of increasing sensitive, high-quality media coverage of HIV/AIDS; acquainting journalists with people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA); focusing attention on policy, good governance, diversity and gender equity; and introducing media to expert opinion and technical and epidemiological inputs. The manual's organisers emphasise the role of media - including, but not defined by, print journalism - in opinion making. They state: "The role of the media in disseminating information was thought to be all the more important in India, where literacy rates are low in many areas."

This chapter contains ten principles on media coverage of HIV/AIDS that emerged from the discussions of those who attended workshops organised by The EU-India Media Initiative on HIV/AIDS in 2005 and 2006. Approximately 112 journalists and media specialists contributed to the formation of these principles.

The list of principles, which is further detailed in the chapter, follows:

• Respect confidentiality.
• Informed consent.
• Take extra care with children.
• Be objective.
• Be aware; have clarity of purpose in communicating with an audience.
• Use appropriate language.
• Double check facts and figures.
• Check your sources.
• Offer back-up service, that is, publish a resource with complete information (on a website or in a longer article) to which a shorter article might refer readers for full access to information.
• Use "well thought-out" pictures.

Following this section on principles, the chapter concludes with the topic of nuances of language and gives terminology checklists for media use. These have, on the left-hand side, what words to avoid; in the centre, the reason not to use them; and, on the right-hand side, the proper language to use instead.