AIDS discourse: a critical reading of mainstream press surveillance of marginal identity

This article examines the discursive strategies used by two major daily newspapers from the South from 1981 to 1994 as they construct the story of AIDS and represent gay identity and desire to the "general public." The research employs a cultural studies approach to communication to analyze power relationships at work in the discourse of these media texts. The research here makes use of and extends a previous study on the highly conservative Oklahoma City newspaper, The Daily Oklahoman, by comparing the findings to coverage in the more liberal Alabama daily, The Birmingham News. These were chosen because they offer examples of broadly circulated regional media and because they seemingly espouse opposing political orientations. Although the political positions of the two papers appear to be quite different, both papers marginalize and keep under surveillance gay identities, desire, and sexualities through coverage of AIDS; moreover, the press in both cases represents AIDS and gay identity in such excessive ways that marginalization and surveillance strategies are made to seem like a rational response to AIDS and gay desire. Finally, a cultural studies approach to media allows for an explanation of the recent media silence about AIDS and gay identity.