A comparative analysis of coverage of AIDS in Pakistani press: a case study of AIDS days

Background: Media is considered one of the most effective tool in creating awareness and has the tendency to change the minds of masses regarding any issue. The present study assessed the role of print media in the coverage of AIDS day in Pakistan. Methods: A coverage of the concerned day and disease from 2003 to 2009 was estimated. The universe of study comprise of news items in five prominent dailies of Pakistan. The method of content analysis was used for the analysis and comparison. Results: Out of all the studied dailies, Jang published 16 news (11%), Nawa-i-Waqt 15 (11%), Dawn 49 (35%), The Nation 26 (18%), and The News 36 (25%). All the news published in the Jang and The News were in the positive direction whereas 26 in Dawn, 10 in The Nation, and 23 in The News were in the positive. None of the newspaper published negative news.Conclusion: Despite of the fact that health problems are increasing rapidly yet their coverage is limited. The Urdu press is not playing its due role to aware the masses about AIDS. In Pakistan there are many misconceptions among the public regarding AIDS thus creating awareness is inevitable.