Reporting HIV in Papua New Guinea: Trends and Omissions from 2000 to 2010

December 15, 2010


Background to the Abstract

This article presents the findings from a longitudinal content analysis on the reporting of HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) in Papua New Guinea’s two national newspapers—The National and Post-Courier—in 2000, 2005 and 2010. The authors tried to answer two key questions: Did press coverage of the disease increase and did the topics change or remain the same? Data from the content analysis showed that coverage of the disease increased significantly during the ten-year study period, and that the framing of the disease moved beyond representing HIV as purely a health story to one that was linked to socio-economic conditions and cultural practices. The feature stories gradually showed more sensitivity to people living with HIV, while they recognised and challenged the social stigma still associated with the disease in much of the country.

Recommended Citation

Cullen, T. A. (2010). Reporting HIV in Papua New Guinea: Trends and Omissions from 2000 to 2010. Retrieved from https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ecuworks/6657

About the Author

Dr Trevor Cullen (PhD) is Professor of Journalism at Edith Cowan University in Perth, Western Australia. Trevor is recognised as a national and international leader in the field of HIV/health Journalism and Journalism education. He has received several University and national teaching and research awards. These include two Australian Government awards – A National Teaching and Learning Fellowship (NTF) and the Australian Award for University Teaching. (AAUT).

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