GLAAD reports that most Americans say they have not encountered stories about people living with HIV in the past year. In its sixth annual State of HIV Stigma report, the advocacy group finds that 72% of Americans report they have not seen media stories featuring real people living with HIV over the last 12 months, according to outlets covering the report.
GLAAD links the lack of visibility to continuing stigma, even as treatment for HIV is widely considered more effective today than in previous decades. The Washington Times and Variety both focus on the same central finding: a large majority of respondents report little to no exposure to HIV narratives in mainstream media. Both outlets also frame the report as highlighting a gap between advances in HIV care and public exposure to real-world stories that could help reduce stigma.
Across the coverage, the emphasis differs slightly in wording—one outlet describes the “full year” absence of such stories, while the other presents the percentage prominently—but both cite the GLAAD survey results and the organization’s interpretation of stigma.
