Press Gang

Press Gang is a virtual group of people living with HIV who challenge inaccurate and stigmatising stories about HIV in the UK media.  The aim of the group is to enable people living with HIV to have a greater voice in the press, encourage more responsible reporting among journalists, and also increase the impact of NAT’s work challenging stigma and discrimination in media coverage.

NAT monitors national, regional and online coverage on HIV everyday, and if an inaccurate or stigmatising news story is picked up we inform Press Gang members through email ‘Stigma Alerts’. 

‘Stigma Alerts’ highlight the article in question and provide background information on why the story is inaccurate and/or stigmatising.  The email also includes links to further reading or other useful resources (such as NAT reports or website information).   

Press Gang members are then encouraged to comment on the article or write to the editor, highlighting why the article was inaccurate or stigmatising and, where necessary, asking for corrections or an apology.   NAT supports members with their responses, as well as responding ourselves, and records the activity of the group.

We also alert Press Gang members with ‘Hot Topic’ emails which might be about an HIV story we are expecting to appear in the press or an article we have picked up which we think will stimulate interest and debate.  This is so members can comment on the discussion boards for these articles and help shape the debate that follows.  Sometimes even when a piece about HIV is well written, members of the public fuel negative debate with their comments so Press Gang’s role is to provide the facts and challenge negative debates.

It is totally up to you how active you are if you join Press Gang – you choose which stories to comment on.  However, it doesn’t take long to respond to a story and the more people who do, the more powerful the message is so we encourage members to be as active as possible!

Media stories about HIV are often inaccurate and stigmatising of people living with HIV.  Many articles contribute to a culture of blame about HIV transmission, stereotyping people living with HIV and often using judgmental language.  Inaccurate coverage can also perpetuate myths about how HIV is passed on; fuelling the unnecessary fear around HIV which is often the root of the stigma and discrimination experienced by people with HIV.

Even when an article is fair and balanced, responding online comments from members of the public are often still inaccurate, stigmatising and stimulate negative debate. 

Press Gang therefore has a vital role to play in tackling poor reporting of HIV, encouraging responsible journalism and educating the public on the facts around HIV.  By improving media coverage of HIV and engaging in online debates to clarify the facts, we are working towards a better public understanding of HIV. 

Press Gang responds to all kinds of stories.  It might be a story about a discarded needle found in a park where the risk of HIV was overstated, or a story which had nothing to do with HIV itself, yet a person’s HIV positive status was referred to irrelevantly, often fuelling stigma and negative connotations.

The most common inaccuracies, myths and stigmatising references to HIV that Press Gang responds to are:

• HIV transmission myths – a lot of articles inaccurately suggest there is a risk of HIV from picking up, stepping on or being jabbed by a used needle, biting and spitting.
• HIV tests – the media often reports that a person must wait three or even six months for an HIV test result, when in fact you can get reliable test result from four weeks after potential infection.
• Confusing HIV with AIDS – journalists will often refer to HIV and AIDS as if they’re interchangeable terms, which is confusing to the public.  HIV is also often incorrectly referred to as the ‘AIDS virus’.
• Criminal prosecution cases – there have been several high profile cases of a person being convicted for reckless transmission of HIV.  The media often inaccurately states that the conviction was for ‘knowingly’ passing on HIV, when in fact it is impossible to ‘know’ whether you have passed on HIV as transmission is not an automatic consequence of unprotected sex with an HIV positive person.  Articles on criminal prosecutions of HIV also tend to use prejudicial language in reference to the defendant, which is often stigmatisingto all people living with HIV. 
• Offensive or sensationalist language– the media still often refer to HIV as the ‘deadly virus’, and HIV positive people charged with a criminal offence are often subjected to headlines describing them as ‘HIV monster’ or ‘HIV beast’.  

Through interventions from Press Gang and NAT, we have had headlines changed, articles corrected, apologies printed and worked to get articles printed which portray the reality of HIV in the UK today.

Press Gang is a great way to make your voice heard and stand up for the rights of people living with HIV – without having to dedicate a huge amount of time or energy.  The media can often forget that it’s accountable for what it says and we are here to remind them that it’s simply unacceptable to print inaccuracies and use stigmatising language; as it confuses the public, propagates myths and genuinely has a negative effect on the lives of people with HIV.

It is not vital to disclose your HIV positive status to get involved, as your activity will mainly be posting online comments or writing an email to the editor – you can do this completely anonymously if you’d prefer to.  But nothing is more powerful than hearing directly from HIV positive people themselves, so we would encourage you to feel empowered to do so.

Yes – Press Gang is run as a virtual network and your details will not be passed on to anyone else.

When inaccurate or stigmatising coverage occurs – NAT, along with alerting Press Gang, will usually write a letter to the editor clarifying the facts and asking for a correction.  Sometimes we also ask an apology to be printed which acknowledges the inaccuracies (depending on the severity of the error). 

NAT also produces Guidelines on Reporting HIV to help journalists and editors report HIV issues responsibly. This practical guide gives people working in the media up-to-date information on HIV and sources of further information to help ensure that your reporting is accurate and non-stigmatising.  We have also produced a DVD for trainee journalists to help them understand the importance of accurate reporting around HIV.  You can view sections of the DVD on the NAT website.

To join Press Gang, simply download and save the registration form (please don’t be put off by this, it’s very short and it’s so we can monitor the diversity of the group as well as make note of your particular interests), fill it out and send it back to us at [email protected].  From there we will discuss with you how to get going and the rest is up to you!

If you just want to find out more before joining, please drop us line on [email protected] / 020 7814 6767 or leave us feedback and we’d be happy to talk to you about Press Gang in more detail.

Now you’re all signed up, you will start receiving our ‘Stigma Alert’ and ‘Hot Topic’ emails as well as weekly news round up emails (informing you of all the current HIV news in the media that week). 

Firstly, stigmatising or inaccurate media articles about HIV occur quite erratically, so don’t be surprised if you don’t receive a ‘Stigma Alert’ email for some time and then suddenly get three in one week – that’s just the way it sometimes happens!  

Here are some Press Gang tips:

• Respond quickly– don’t delay too long after receiving a ‘Stigma Alert’ or ‘Hot Topic’ or the opportunity is missed.  When writing to the editor it’s best to do when the story is fresh on their radar, and when posting an online comment, getting in there early can shape the debate that follows.
• Keep your comments short – whether writing an online comment or a letter to the editor, try to stick to between 50 – 200 words. 
• Don’t worry at first – if you’re finding it hard to write your comments to start with, it will get easier each time and it’s worth saving your comments so you can reuse them for similar stories. 
• Ask for help – that’s what NAT is here for!  If you need any advice or help with your comment, just let us know.
• Keep NAT informed – please do send us a copy of your online comment or include us in your email to the editor, so we can monitor Press Gang activity.

Spread the word – the more voices we have speaking out, the louder we are. If you know anyone who is interesting in joining Press Gang, please do encourage them to get in touch.