The media is an incredibly powerful tool in influencing people’s attitudes, challenging stereotypes and combating misconceptions. Whilst the traditional press officer work of placing positive stories can make a big impact, having a mechanism to challenge inaccurate or stigmatising articles is equally important.
When we talk to people living with HIV, one of the most recurring complaints is the negative way HIV is often written about in the press. For a charity that sets out to change public attitudes, tackling negative media coverage is just as important, if not more so, than using the press to promote campaigns. With this is mind, we started Press Gang.
What is Press Gang?
Press Gang is a group of people living with HIV in the UK who are willing to speak out and challenge inaccurate and stigmatising stories about HIV. NAT (National AIDS Trust) established Press Gang in 2005 and it now has over 130 members. We keep members updated on the latest news about HIV and when a story appears that‘s inaccurate, contains stigmatising language, or looks as if it might prompt ill-informed or discriminatory comments online, we send out an alert. The alert contains a link to the article as well as advice about how members can respond, usually by writing to the editor or adding a comment online.
Once an alert has been sent out, Press Gang springs into action. It’s very rewarding to see Press Gang members contributing to online discussions, often changing the tone of the comments and providing facts to make people think again about their initial misconceptions. When writing directly to editors or journalists, Press Gang members can give a much more personal account of how inaccurate or stigmatising reporting affects their lives. In response to a recent article, that suggested a woman with HIV had to have an abortion to stop her baby being infected, one member of Press Gang was able to write and explain that as a mother living with HIV, she knows first hand that women with HIV can, and do, have healthy babies.
Confidentiality
One of the biggest obstacles to recruiting new members is overcoming worries about confidentiality. We are careful to give members clear advice; for example marking letters to the editor ‘not for publication’ or using pseudonyms for online comments.
New recruits are reassured by hearing other members’ experiences and knowing they are taking action as part of a group. There is safety in numbers. Many new members say they have often been angry about press reports but never felt they could do anything about it.
Reaction from the media
The reaction from journalists has on the whole been positive. Many will reply to Press Gang members’ emails directly. When a member receives a response from the journalist, they realise they’ve had an impact and that they aren’t powerless.
We also follow-up with the newspapers and send them our guidance for reporting HIV. As with all media relations, diplomacy is important. We acknowledge journalists are not experts in HIV. Public knowledge about HIV is low and journalists rely in good faith on a variety of sources when writing about HIV, unfortunately not all of these sources provide up-to-date and correct information.
Success
Measuring the impact of Press Gang is difficult – the nature of its success is that inaccurate or stigmatising articles will not appear in the future. On a number of occasions, editors have agreed to publish corrections. In one serious case a Press Gang member pursued a successful complaint through the Press Complaints Commission. However Press Gang is not just focused on getting one-off corrections; we want to educate journalists and improve the quality of HIV reporting in the long-term.
The most successful work of Press Gang has resulted in an ongoing dialogue with editors. Some editors have realised the importance of reporting this sensitive issue accurately and now take proactive steps to make sure they get it right, such as informing their journalists to contact us if they need to double check facts or language. One national newspaper has even put messages on all sub-editor desks to say HIV is not the same as AIDS, a common mistake in headlines.
The feedback we have received from Press Gang members themselves is also a testament to the importance of the group. One member commented; “Press Gang has given me the support I need to have my voice heard. I no longer get upset or angry when I read bad reporting about HIV, I take action.”
You can join the NAT's Press Gang by visiting http://www.nat.org.uk/Living-with-HIV/Help-nat/Join-press-gang.aspx