Back to complacency: AIDS in the Australian press, March-September 1990

This paper reports the results of a quantitative and qualitative content analysis of all articles about AIDS published in the Australian metropolitan press during the 7 month period of March-September 1990. During the study period, almost 2800 articles mentioning AIDS were published, representing a drop in number of articles published compared with earlier years. Those issues receiving most press attention included people living with AIDS, AIDS and the law, AIDS policy and politics, the general spread of HIV/AIDS, AIDS education campaigns, drugs and medical treatment, and the HIV/AIDS threat posed to prison officers and health practitioners. The analysis demonstrates that the reporting of AIDS has changed over the course of the epidemic: topics which in the past commanded enormous press attention, such as AIDS as a 'gay plague' and the threat posed by the disease to heterosexuals, are no longer considered as newsworthy. Implications for AIDS health promotion activities are discussed.