Check W A
Medical and Scientific Communications, Atlanta, Georgia 30340.
Rev Infect Dis. 1987 Sep-Oct;9(5):987-1000. doi: 10.1093/clinids/9.5.987.
Mass media have functioned well in transmitting much of the basic information about the AIDS epidemic; however, media coverage of AIDS has been flawed. In many ways these flaws have resulted from the limitations and conventions of traditional journalism, especially the need to appeal to a large mainstream audience and a reliance on authorities as sources and validators of information. News stories typically rely on a single articulate authority, and articles that involve conspiracy or controversy or have a high entertainment value are favored. Although coverage of politics and social issues is not distorted by these journalistic conventions, coverage of science suffers. Analysis of news coverage of AIDS shows that mass media often respond to sensationalism rather than to important scientific developments. In addition, scientific disagreements are better adjudicated by evidence than by appeals to authority. As a result, media coverage often obscures the process of scientific deliberation. Public health officials need to consider setting up a special channel of communications to clarify information about AIDS.
大众媒体在传播有关艾滋病疫情的许多基本信息方面发挥了良好作用；然而，媒体对艾滋病的报道存在缺陷。在很多方面，这些缺陷源于传统新闻业的局限性和惯例，尤其是需要吸引大量主流受众，以及依赖权威人士作为信息来源和验证者。新闻报道通常依赖单一能言善辩的权威人士，涉及阴谋、争议或具有高娱乐价值的文章更受青睐。虽然政治和社会问题的报道不会因这些新闻惯例而失真，但科学报道却受到影响。对艾滋病新闻报道的分析表明，大众媒体往往对轰动效应做出反应，而不是对重要的科学进展做出反应。此外，科学分歧通过证据裁决比诉诸权威更好。因此，媒体报道常常掩盖了科学审议的过程。公共卫生官员需要考虑设立一个特殊的沟通渠道，以澄清有关艾滋病的信息。
