On December 8 Doctors Without Borders released a press release announcing the newest available AIDS drugs are remaining unavailable in Africa because the involved pharmaceutical companies are choosing not to sell them in the region, and generic versions of the drugs do not exist. These drugs were laid out in the recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO) at the International Conference on AIDS and Sexually transmitted infections in Africa (ICASA) in Abuja, Nigeria.
The drugs mentioned in the release include the antiretroviral (ARV) medicine Kaletra, marketed by the US pharmaceutical firm Abbott. Abbott has not indicated any intentions to export the drug to Africa despite its potential to be of significant use as it requires no refrigeration. The success of Kaletra was detailed in a press release from Abbott on November 18 of this year. The WHO also recommends Tenofovir in its guidelines. This drug allegedly has significantly fewer side effects than other treatments, and while Gilead, the company that markets the drug, claims that it is available at a discounted price in 98 countries, the WHO states it is only registered in six developing countries and not available in Africa at all.
Public Relations is an increasingly important element of the news-making process, so it is important to track the progression of a press release through international media organisations, and observe whether or not any of the big fish have taken the bait.
The Doctors Without Borders press release has been featured in a number of websites. The number of times it was picked up is relevant to a degree, but it is probably more interesting to look at the nature of these publications, in an attempt to gage the potential impact this particular news made.
The following table looks at the region in which the site is based, originated or registered and the nature of the publication. The information below is based on that found on the official websites. I invite any corrections or clarifications if necessary.
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11/12/05 |
Medical News Today | UK | Private site providing only medical news. |
| 08/12/05 | Reuters AlertNet | UK | International humanitarian news network with non-profit organisations involved in emergency relief as members. |
| 16/12/05 | The Tide News | Nigeria | Daily newspaper published by the Rivers State Newspaper Corporation. |
| 09/12/05 | AllAfrica.com | Mauritius | African news organisation that stems from the non-profit Africa News Service, and distributes reports from a wide variety of news organisations. |
| 14-12-05 | AllAfrica.com | ||
| 10/12/05 | Medindia | India | Private medical information service headed by a group of doctors which uses part of its earnings to promote the use of medical informatics among healthcare workers. |
| 09/12/05 | People’s Daily Online | China | A branch of major Chinese newspaper People’s Daily. |
| (Login required) | THISDAY | Nigeria | Major Nigerian newspaper. |
| 09/12/05 | Daily Independent | Nigeria | A five-day/week independent newspaper. |
| 08/12/05 | Afro-Nets | Africa | Also known as the ‘African Networks for Health Research & Development’. An organisation that facilitates exchange of information among different networks active in Health Research for Development in Anglophone Africa. |
| 08/12/05 | Essential Drugs | USA | Based on the World Health Organisation’s classifications of ‘essential drugs’, this site collects, stores and exchanges drug information among health workers. |
| 28/12/05 | Ivy Rose. | UK | Site dedicated to holistic healing. |
Of the twelve times the press release was picked up, six were in the African region, two from Asia and four from ‘Western’ countries. It is interesting to note that none of the private publications or newspapers which ran this story were from ‘Western’ media, but were centralised in Africa and China. To access this story through Western media sources, people need to visit Reuters’ humanitarian news network or a site for medical or health news and research.
The possible reasons for omitting news about African countries being unable to access AIDS medication are endless and complicated, and it would be unfair to abruptly criticise news organisations for not running the story, particularly with such limited research.
It can be noted however that there is a distinct difference between the services that used the press release in different global regions. The lack of any major private news organisation reporting this issue through Western media is notable. Although this story is an African problem, both Abbott and Gilead –the pharmaceutical companies which have made the decision not to make the drugs available – are American. Coverage therefore in the US press could find the same level of proximity as that in African media, but only in Africa did any major news organisations pick up this press release.
1 response so far ↓
1 Chris van Opstal // Jan 9, 2006 at 6:34 am
Well done on your mini primary research paper.
Proximity does indeed play a major role, but I think that the nature and newsworthiness of stories on the HIV/ AIDS epidemic are of even greater concern. Therefore, the question should be: how can the media take on an overworked crisis in a fresh way?
World AIDS Day, every December 1st, seems to be the only day the media specifically covers the issue (that is, without flexing its muscles). On this day, we barely even hear the most basic facts and statistics reiterated – the use of condoms to protect oneself, the number of people infected in Africa or Thailand, or the mere idea that AIDS isn’t an African decease anymore. So why run a story that’s been reported last year and the year before?
Ideally, it might be argued that there is no need to render the HIV/AIDS issue fresh in any way, as journalists carry the responsibility to sustain awareness and education. But face it - a story on HIV/ AIDS issue is barely the ticket to win you a Walkley.
With regards to the lack in drugs in South Africa, the problem (again) is that the media has shed light on this issue before and now, I suspect, believes it to be “old news”.
So I can just imagine the amount of sweat produced by spin-doctors to find some new angle on the issue – someway, somehow. Or take the new way of getting the message out – the initiative of Nelson Mandela and MTV making noise by calling on celebrities. This just proves the spontaneous hypothesis that new forms of communication are needed to counter the media’s increasingly passive role in reporting HIV/AIDS.
I was faced with the exact same problem in preparing for an interview on HIV/AIDS for World AIDS Day. The angle? Crisis on our doorstep: the rise of the epidemic in PNG. This proves your theory of proximity, along with the need for a new angle on HIV/AIDS.
Just to note: this year, the main angle by the mainstream media – domestically and internationally – stressed the failure of the WHO to fulfil its 3/5 initiative (3 million by 2005). This, by the way, did involve the lack in drugs. Yet again, it met the demands of newsworthiness, as it was a relatively new issue (and failure) laying on top of an old issue.