Date of Graduation
5-2018
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Journalism (MA)
Degree Level
Graduate
Department
Journalism
Advisor/Mentor
Wells, Rob
Committee Member
Aloia, Lindsey S.
Second Committee Member
Carpenter, Dale
Keywords
Africa; Feminism; HIV Stigma; Media; The New York Times; Women
Abstract
The aim of the study was to determine the dominant and recurring frames influencing the narrative and media portrayal of women living with HIV and AIDS in Southern Africa, a region characterized by a low socio-economic status and the highest HIV and AIDS infection rates globally. The study analyzed 238 stories published in The New York Times from 1985 to 2017. Findings of the study show that news reports frequently associate sex workers and pregnant women to coverage on HIV and AIDS therefore stigmatizing them as vectors of the disease. The newspaper stories provided adequate socioeconomic context resulting in African women being vulnerable to HIV and AIDS. This conclusion supports the feminist theory that women are politicized, categorized and victimized according to and as defined by their surroundings and that such media representation further perpetuates HIV stigma for women living with HIV and AIDS.
Keywords: HIV stigma, media, women, Africa, AIDS, feminism
Citation
Balozwi, B. M. (2018). A Focus on the US Narrative: Does The New York Times Portrayal of Women Living With HIV and AIDS in Southern Africa Perpetuate HIV/AIDS Stigma?. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/2762
