HIV and responsible journalism

If I could have been at this week's conference for one session, it would have been this morning's symposium on AIDS denial and responsible journalism. Hannah has already mentioned it and given her impressions and thoughts. The session itself was moderated by HIV researcher Daniel Kuritzkes and journalist Laurie Garrett, currently a Senior Fellow on Global Health at the Council on Foreign Relations. Talks were also given by HIV researcher John Moore, South Africa-based science journalist Tamar Khan, Toronto Star science reporter Kim Honey, and Nathan Geffen of the Treatment Action Campaign. From Hannah's report, it seems there was quite a bit of audience involvement as well.

The issue of reporters and how they address the "controversy" over HIV is one that has implications for fields far beyond just HIV science. Hannah noted that a debate opened up discussing whether journalists should challenge scientific consensus in general. She notes that Lancet editor Richard Horton:

(Continued at The AIDS conference blog...)

More like this

"Smacking down more lies about Plan B" "It's really not that hard to understand, but what's blocking acceptance are the amazing lies people say about Plan B emergency contraception." PZ sets it straight, here. "The real Heathrow story...." From A Blog Around the Clock: "Shakes has the quickest,…
The Kaiser Family Foundation has just released a report on the future of global health journalism, and it's not surprising to hear that the traditional model of covering global health is crumbling. KFF commissioned journalists Nellie Bristol and John Donnelly to conduct this research, and their…
At the opening general session of the American Public Health Associationâs 135th Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, speakers urged the public health professionals in attendance to address the glaring inequities in the U.S. and throughout the world. Carlos Cano, interim director of the DC Department…
   No, this doesn't have Flash or a camera either. Nice text resolution, though...This post is long overdue. It has now been over two weeks since ScienceOnline'10 and the withdrawal symptoms (along with the SciPlague and jet-lag) have now subsided. I've already talked about how much I enjoyed…

Don't forget to read Celia Farber's superb expose of the corruption and dangerous mischief of the AIDS dogmatists that appeared in the March 2006 issue of "Harpers."

There were some fine follow-up debates among the letters published in the May 2006 issue of "Harpers" in response to Farber's powerful article.

Ditto with BBC filmmaker Joan Shenton and her equally fine book, "Positively False: Exposing the Myths Around HIV and AIDS" (St. Marrtin's Press, 1998).

It's truly amazing how just a few such books and articles have such an amazingly disproportionate, disconcerting and destabilizing effect on the true believers of the Church of AIDS Dogmatism........... it does gives one grounds to pause all right......

Lordy, Lordy.......

The thread that connects those HIV+s who question whether HIV causes AIDS and those that don't, is that they're both trying to stay alive. If I had not become sick 6-10 years after testing positive and saw the people on HAART who look like concentration camp victims I wouldn't want to take the drugs. Or, if HAART had saved my life I would be a true beiever. What a hateful choice.