Shanghai 2005: HIV/AIDS Stigma and Discrimination

In June 2005, the Journalist to Journalist Project of the National Press Foundation was invited to participate in a half-day symposium on the role of media and art in fighting stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS. The symposium, which took place in Shanghai, China on June 13, 2005, was sponsored by the Asia Society and organized mainly by the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences. Chinese and international leaders in media, technology, and public policy attended the symposium.

Bob Meyers, NPF President, spoke about the power of the media to combat stigmatization of diseases and infected persons. He discussed the media's capacity to eradicate discrimination in their portrayal of diseases as conveyed by choice of subjects, words, and images.

Other speakers included Wang Longde, the Vice Minister of the Chinese Ministry of Health and Kevin Ryan, the director of Positive Lives, a unique international project that documents the impact of HIV/AIDS through personal images and text.

The symposium sponsor, The Asia Society, is an international organization dedicated to improving the relationships between the peoples of Asia and the United States. Its "AIDS in Asia initiative" sponsors programs for policymakers, business leaders, and opinion-makers on the impact of AIDS in Asia.