Ethical Issues in Coverage of

HIV/AIDS in China
中国艾滋病报道的道德问题

Bob Meyers
Journalist to Journalist Program
National Press Foundation
Chinese Media Workshop
XVI International AIDS Conference
Toronto, Canada
August 12, 2006
Do we have an ethical obligation to
cover HIV/AIDS?
我们是否有报道爱滋病的道德责任

 Size of the  流行现状

epidemic  潜在增长趋势
 Potential for its  对社会的影响
growth  对人们的影响
 Impact on society
 Impact on people
Dr. Peter Piot, Executive Director, UNAIDS put
the Asia AIDS crisis in perspective in July 2004:

 ``Asia is now  “ 现在的亚洲就是 15

where Africa 年前的非洲。”
was 15 years 2004 年 7 月 6 日

ago.”
 6 July 2004
Where is Africa now?
 Dr. Piot also said this about
journalism, 4 years ago:
 “ 在防止艾滋病蔓延
“When it comes to 上，记者比医生的影
响更大。”
AIDS, journalists
can have more ——J2J
of an impact Conference,
than doctors.” Barcelona, Spain,
2002
 J2J Conference,
Barcelona, Spain,
2002
What are the obstacles journalists
face in covering HIV/AIDS?
报道艾滋病时要面对哪些困难？

 Lack of information  信息匮乏

 Lack of interest  不感兴趣
 Fear
 Stigma &
 恐惧
discrimination  污名和歧视
 Lack of time  时间不足
 Lack of official &
editorial support  官员和编辑的不支持
 Disagreement  政府部门在艾滋病报
between parts of 道上的不统一
government over AIDS
coverage
Lack of information

 Only 9 % of Chinese  只有 9 ％的中国人

people know all 知道艾滋病的所有
about AIDS
transmission 传播方式
 Heard about AIDS:  听说过艾滋病的：
 96.2 % urbanites —— 96.2 ％的城市人
 82.6 percent of the
people in small towns —— 82.6 ％的城镇居
 75.1 percent of rural
民
villagers. —— 75.1 ％的农村人
See notes, this slide. Source: Horizon
口


Group/Futures group Europe 2003

Fear
 Emphasize that 强调艾滋病不会通过接触
HIV/AIDS cannot be
spread through touch,
、握手或共餐传播
shaking hands, or
sharing food
 You don’t become
infected by breathing,
walking new somebody
or walking where
someine else once
walked
Stigma
 Stigma = fear or prejudice against
what is different
国家主席胡锦涛以及其他国家领导人在北京佑安医院同艾滋病患
者亲切握手交谈
President Hu Jintao and other senior leaders visit Beijing’s
Youan Hospital. President Hu shakes hands with an AIDS
patient(from a presentation by Vice Minister of Health Wang Longde)
 2005 年春节期间，国务院总理温家宝
到河南上蔡考察艾滋病防治工作，看望
和慰问艾滋病患者及家属，并和受艾滋
病影响的孤儿和孤老共度春节。
During the 2005 Spring Festival,
Premier Wen Jiabao visited HIV-
positive people and their families in
Shancai county in Henan. He spent
the festival with AIDS orphans and
parents who had lost their children
to the disease.

温家宝总理在署名文章中指出，“通过广泛
的宣传教育…… 使全社会正确对待艾滋病感染
者和患者，给他们更多的关爱，不歧视他们”。
Premier Wen Jiabao said in his published
article “Through campaign and education…
to enable the whole society to treat people
with HIV/AIDS appropriately, to provide
more care to them, and to reduce stigma and
discrimination against them.”
(from a presentation by Vice Minister of Health Wang Longde)
 吴仪副总理亲赴河南，深入艾滋病流
行严重乡村和艾滋病病人家庭，视察
艾滋病防治工作。
Vice Premier Wu Yi went to
Henan province to visit
villages heavily affected by
HIV. She visited HIV-
positive villagers and their
families and inspected the
HIV/AIDS prevention
programs in the province.

吴仪副总理在“全国艾滋病防治工作会议” 上的讲话中指出 , “ 要动员社会消除歧视、关爱艾

滋病患者”。“要加强法制宣传教育，提高依法防治意识，消除社会恐惧和歧视，提高艾滋病病毒
感染者和患者的守法意识” 。
Vice Premier Wu Yi said “The whole society should be mobilized to eliminate
discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS, and provide good care for
them.” She further emphasized “we should promote education about the
legal system; raise awareness of the laws governing HIV/AIDS prevention
and control; eliminate social fears towards, and discrimination against, people
affected by HIV/AIDS; and raise awareness of the legal obligations of HIV
positive people and AIDS patients.”
(from a presentation by Vice Minister of Health Wang Longde)
Reality
 People don’t
always respond as
their leaders want
them to
Reality:
You contract HIV/AIDS through
specific things you do…

 IV drug use  静脉注射吸毒

 Unprotected sexual  与 HIV 阳性的人发生
intercourse with 无保护的性行为
HIV+ person  HIV 阳性的人生育或
 Give birth to or 者喂养孩子
nurse a baby if you
are HIV+
Reality:
Or have done to you…

 Blood transfusion  输血
 Medical procedure  医疗程序
 Sexual violence  性暴力
Perspective

 HIV/AIDS is the worst  HIV/AIDS 是世界上

epidemic the world has 有史以来最严重的传
ever seen
染病
 Worldwide
 No cure —— 世界上
 Virus mutates —— 不可治愈
 90% of those with HIV —— 病毒变异
don’t know they have
it
 90% 艾滋病病毒感染
者并不知道已被感染
Perspective
 The development
of an effective drug
takes years, if not
decades
 Testing it for safety
adds additional
time
 So does finding
safe & effective
ways to bring it to
people
Perspective
 HIV/AIDS is  教育可以预防
preventable HIV/AIDS
through education
Journalists are educators
记者是教育者
 We provide
information
—— 我们提供信息
 We provide context —— 我们提供事件背景
 We show real —— 我们展示做实事的真实人
people dealing with 物
real issues
Subjects to consider when we want to do
ethical stories about HIV/AIDS
艾滋病报道的道德话题

 Language  语言
 Words & pictures
— 用词和图片
 Describing various
causes — 叙述感染艾滋病的原因
 Ignoring a specific — 忽略特殊“感染原因”
“cause” — 谴责感染者
 Blaming the person — 不使用夸张性语言
 Eliminating over-charged
language  准确性
 Accuracy — 不要只记笔记
 More than note-taking
 Privacy
 隐私
 The stories of people  对人的报道
Language to avoid
需要避免的词语
 Plague  瘟疫
 Disease  疾病
 “Catching” AIDS  “ 染上”艾滋病
 Infected with  被……感染
 Victims  受害者
 Patients (unless
they are
 病人（除非已住院）
hospitalized)  同性恋者
 Homosexuals  吸毒者
 Drug users
Better choices to consider
一些可以考虑的更好的词语
 Epidemic  流行病
 Illness  疾病
 A person with  感染艾滋病病毒 / 艾
HIV/AIDS 滋病的人
 Someone who has  有……的人
…  男男性行为者
 Men who have sex  静脉注射吸毒
with men
 IV drug use
Why do we want to be “value-neutral” in our
language?
为什么要让语言“价值中立”？
 Highly-charged  充满个人感情的语言
emotional language 会使报道脱离现实，
can separate subject
from reality.
变得主观
 People who are
 使得正在与身体障碍
struggling with a 或医疗问题做斗争的
disability or medical 人除了与误导性的标
issue have to work 签做斗争之外，还要
twice as hard to be
做出更大的努力，才
accepted on their own
– without having to 能让自己被他人接受
fight misleading labels. 。
For accuracy …
如何做到准确
 Get the best medical  寻找能够找到的最佳
& scientific sources 医学和科学信源
you can find  要在需要以前就培养
 The time to develop 一些这样的信源
sources is BEFORE
you need them
 使用图片和图表
 Use pictures &  需求专家指导
graphics
 DEVELOP A MENTOR!
A mentor is …
专家是……
 One of the most  你能得到的最重要的
important tools you 资源之一
can have  有很多思想的人
 Someone to  能够使你的报道更加
bounce ideas off of 准确的人
 Someone who can
help you with
accuracy
Privacy
 Individuals have a  个人有隐私权
right to privacy  记者有展示和告知事
 Journalists have an 实的责任
obligation to show  二者有无矛盾？
and tell the truth
 Do they conflict?
YES!

是的！
Questions as you consider this conflict
当你思考这个矛盾时，需要考虑以下问题
 LAWS regarding local,  法律包括当地、行政
district, state, regional 区、州、区域或国家
or national rights to 针对隐私的权利
privacy
 LAWS regarding
 法律也包括社会重人
society’s right to know 们的知晓权
 Human rights  人权
 EXAMPLES in which  以及一些成功解决了
your society has 这种矛盾的案例
wrestled with this
conflict
From your experience, would an ethical
journalist … 从你的经验看，有道德的记者…

 Write/broadcast a  未经采访就进行报道
story before talking ？
to the subject?  虚构事实？
 Make up facts?  虚构引语？
 Make up quotes?
From your experience, if you ever saw these bad practices
taking place in your newsroom, what should you do?
依你的经验，如果你的编辑部里发生这种虚构新闻的情况，你会怎么
做？

 Tell the editor?  告诉编辑？

 Complain to the  向协会抱怨？
union?  告诉倡议组织？
 Tell the advocacy
groups?
If some one is victimized by bad journalism, what can or
should he or she do?
如果某人因不真实的新闻报道受到伤害，他 / 她可以做些什么？

 Complain to the  向编辑或者出版商投

editor or publisher? 诉？
 Hire a lawyer?  找律师解决？
 other  其他办法
When ethical concerns are lacking,
there is plenty of opportunity for
stigma to flourish

当记者缺乏道德考虑时，很有
可能造成污名盛行
Sources of Stigmatization
污名的来源

 Gender-related Stigma （性别相关的污名）

 Impact of HIV/AIDS can disproportionately effect women
due to pre-existing economic, educational, cultural and
social inequities
因为男女在经济、教育、文化和社会等方面的不平等，艾滋病会
对女性造成更大影响
 Disease identified with female sex workers and/or with
promiscuous males
被认为是女性性工作者和（或）男性乱交者的疾病
 Sexual Stigma 性污名
 Associated with sexually transmitted diseases,
homosexuality, promiscuity, prostitution, and sexual
“deviance”
与通过性交传染、同性恋、乱交、卖淫和性“变态”等相关的疾
病

Source: HIV/AIDS-related Stigma and Discrimination: A Conceptual Framework and an Agenda for Action
(Richard Parker and Peter Aggleton, The Population Council, 2002)
 Effects of Stigmatization
污名的后果
 Individuals with HIV/AIDS fear being
associated with stigmatized groups
HIV/AIDS 感染者惧怕和名声不好的群体联系到一起
 HIV/AIDS increases the stigmatization of
individuals in marginalized groups
HIV/AIDS 增加了对边缘化群体中人们的侮蔑
 Can make life unbearable for people living
with disease
使艾滋病患者的生活难以承受
 Can affect prevention efforts, as well as
treatment and care
影响预防、治疗和关怀
Source: HIV/AIDS-related Stigma and Discrimination: A Conceptual Framework and an Agenda for Action
(Richard Parker and Peter Aggleton, The Population Council, 2002)
 Ways to Fight Stigma
如何避免污名
 Educate the public about HIV/AIDS
教育公众
 Encourage healthy interaction with people
living with HIV/AIDS
鼓励与感染者的良性互动
 Emphasize that HIV/AIDS cannot be spread
through touch, shaking hands, or sharing food
强调艾滋病不会通过接触、握手或共餐传播
 Write stories about the many different types
of people that are affected by the disease
报道被艾滋病影响的不同人群

Source: HIV/AIDS-related Stigma and Discrimination: A Conceptual Framework and an Agenda for Action
(Richard Parker and Peter Aggleton, The Population Council, 2002)
Stories centered on Stigma
有关侮蔑的报道
 如果家庭成员中有人感染
 Would you care for a 艾滋病病毒，你会不会在
family member sick with 意？
HIV/AIDS?
 Would you buy fresh
 你会从一个感染艾滋病的
vegetables from a 店主那里买蔬菜吗？
shopkeeper with AIDS?  是否应该允许一个艾滋病
 Should a female teacher 病毒检测呈阳性的女教师
who is HIV+ be allowed
to continue teaching in
继续教学？
school?  如果家庭成员中有人艾滋
 Would you want to keep 病病毒检测呈阳性，你是
the HIV+ status of a 否会告诉别人？
family member a secret? 
 DHS Survey Questions asked to measure stigma
Story ideas 1

 艾滋病阳性的人们如何看
 How do people who are “受害者”这个词？
HIV+ feel about the word  是否应该对歌厅进行管制
“victim”?
？
 Should karaoke bars be
regulated in some way?  追踪报道一个想得到药物
 Follow an HIV+ person as 的 艾滋病感染者
he/she attempts to get  如果一个健康专家（如护
medicine? 士）正在治疗一个感染者
 Do a story about the stress ，而这个感染者却没有钱
on health professionals,
，那你可以写一篇突出健
like nurses, as they deal
with people who are HIV+ 康专家（如护士）的报道
and there is no money. 。
Story ideas 2
 What research into  中国正在进行哪些关
HIV/AIDS is being 于艾滋病的研究？
done in China?  家人如何谈论艾滋病
 How do families ？
talk about — 预防
HIV/AIDS? — 如果某人已感染艾
 To prevent it
滋病病毒
 If someone is living
with it
Story ideas 3
 Why are men  男性为何不愿使用安
reluctant to use 全套？
condoms?  我们该如何告诉读者
 What can we tell 或观众一些关于女用
readers/viewers 安全套的知识？
about a female  你有什么主意？
condom?
 WHAT ARE YOUR
IDEAS?
Voices
声音
How people with HIV/AIDS – or any other
disease – are seen by others is one of a
journalist’s responsibilities

其他人如何看待艾滋病感染者或其他疾病患
者，报道这些是记者的职责之一
 10 QUESTIONS FOR 
ETHICAL DECISION-MAKING

1. What do I know? What do I need to know?

2. What is my journalistic purpose? 
3. What are my ethical concerns?
4. What organizational policies and professional guidelines should I
consider?
5. How can I include other people, with different perspectives and diverse
ideas, in the decision-making process?
6. Who are the stakeholders -- those affected by my decision? What are their
motivations? Which are legitimate?
7. What if the roles were reversed? How would I feel if I were in the shoes of
one of the stakeholders?
8. What are the possible consequences of my actions? Short term? Long
term?
9. What are my alternatives to maximize my truth-telling responsibility and
minimize harm?
10. Can I clearly and fully justify my thinking and my decision? To my
colleagues? To the stakeholders? To the public?

> Ethics Tool: Decisions on Deadline, www.poynter.org

Trusted websites
可信赖的网站
 www.unaids.org
 www.unesco.org
 www.stats.gov.cn
 www.iasociety.org
 www.who.org