Media Leaders Commit Resources to Addressing HIV/AIDS in India

Prime Minister Singh Calls for Coordinated National Response at Unprecedented Gathering

New Delhi - Twenty five top executives from the leading media companies across India met today with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his residence for the country's first-ever Media Leaders Summit on HIV/AIDS to discuss what they can do to address the growing epidemic in India. India has the second highest number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world today, after only South Africa. According to the National AIDS Control Organization, there were 5.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS in India as of 2003.

Coming out of the Summit, which was convened by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, and the Heroes Project in partnership with the Kaiser Family Foundation and Avahan Initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, were new commitments by the attending media leaders to use their collective communications expertise and resources to reach Indians - especially youth - with information about how to prevent HIV and to help combat AIDS-related stigma and discrimination. All of the attending executives signed a statement of support pledging to work together to expand public knowledge and understanding about HIV/AIDS.

"There is no greater threat to our well being than the HIV/AIDS pandemic. One in eight people with HIV/AIDS in the world live in India. Even so India is still at the early stages of this rapidly growing crisis. There still is a window of opportunity if action is taken immediately. With the passionate commitment of Prime Minister Singh and the Indian Government, in partnership with media and artistic communities, the HIV/AIDS pandemic can be greatly minimized, saving millions of Indians lives." said Richard Gere, who co-founded with Parmeshwar Godrej the Heroes Project, a national effort to mobilize societal leaders and the media industry in India on HIV/AIDS.

Among the new commitments announced at the Summit include those from Dainik Jagran, Hindustan Times, MTV, NDTV, Prasar Bharati, SET India, Star TV, SUN TV, The Hindu and Zee TV. (See Addendum for specific statements)

"Through sustained efforts the media can play an important role in breaking the silence and mobilizing society to confront the epidemic," said Drew Altman, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Kaiser Family Foundation. "Today's meeting is a show of leadership itself for other nations about what is possible when the public and private sectors join together."

According to UNAIDS and the World Health Organization, as many as two-thirds of new HIV infections projected to occur globally by 2010 could be averted with more effective prevention and public education efforts.

Shri S. Jaipal Reddy, Minister of Information & Broadcasting and Culture, Dr. A Ramdoss, Minister of Health & Family Welfare Minister, Shri Oscar Fernandes, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Dr. S.Y. Quraishi, Additional Secretary Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and Director General, National AIDS Control Organization, Parmeshwar Godrej, Heroes Project Co-Chair, Ashok Alexander, Executive Director Avahan Initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Matt James, Senior Vice President Kaiser Family Foundation also participated in today's meeting.

In January of 2003 at United Nation's headquarters, Secretary General Kofi Annan brought together media leaders from around the world to focus attention on the media's role in fighting HIV/AIDS. Launched at the meeting was the Global Media AIDS Initiative, a joint effort of the United Nations, UNAIDS and the Kaiser Family Foundation, to encourage media organizations to devote resources to getting out information about HIV/AIDS. In addition to activities in India, Global Media AIDS Initiative-supported efforts are also underway in Russia, Indonesia, China, the United States and elsewhere in the world.

THE HEROES PROJECT is a public education initiative launched by Richard Gere and Parmeshwar Godrej to work with Indian media companies and other societal leaders to develop coordinated public education campaigns on HIV/AIDS. It is supported with a grant from the Avahan Initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which provide technical and substantive expertise to the project.

Addendum

MEDIA STATEMENTS

Dainik Jagran
To equip its readers with accurate information on HIV/AIDS, Dainik Jagran has committed periodic editorials and advertising space inventory of 4,000 sq. cm (valued at Rs. 9.3 million), spread over one year. Dainik Jagran wants to take on in-depth coverage of HIV/AIDS that goes beyond stating bare facts, but provoking questions about the 'why' associated with the disease. Besides reaching out through its 25 editions in 8 Indian states, the group plans on the ground events under its forum called 'Jagran Pahal'. Collaborating with Heroes Project, this forum will feature AIDS awareness camps, voluntary check ups, etc. at rural centers in regions where AIDS is on the rise. Jagran also plans to deploy its popular website, jagran.com for AIDS awareness.

Hindustan Times
The Hindustan Times plans to disseminate in-depth information on HIV/AIDS through a sustained media campaign. Besides, regular news reports, the media campaign will include an interactive weekly column to encourage people to write in their queries and concerns about HIV/AIDS. Issues such as safe sex practices, voluntary testing and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS will be discussed in this weekly column. The group's popular website (HindustanTimes.com) already features a special microsite on HIV/AIDS, called 'Surviving AIDS', which is to be developed as an increasingly interactive resource. Hindustan Times has announced that it will make AIDS awareness a part of its massive school programme by encouraging the 1,200 participating schools, to make safe sex and AIDS awareness a part of their social awareness programmes. Hindustan Times plans to send out messages encouraging women empowerment across Bihar, a state in which Hindustan, its Hindi publication, is the number one Hindi daily with 80 per cent of the market share. In collaboration with the Heroes Project, Hindustan Times has offered to produce an education booklet for women in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, a segment which has among the lowest levels of education and access to information on AIDS.

MTV India
Heroes Project is partnering with MTV India to incorporate HIV/AIDS messaging in their programmes as well as air Heroes PSAs. The project will also provide informational material and hold special events together with MTV to raise HIV/AIDS awareness among Indian youth. A recent example of this was the Heroes Project stall at MTV India's biggest, flagship award event - MTV IMMIES (Indian Music Excellence Awards 2004), where the team behind the film Phir Milenge, Hindi cinema's first mainstream movie on the subject of HIV/AIDS, was awarded the MTV Staying Alive Award

NDTV
The NDTV and Heroes Project association focuses on HIV/AIDS related news programming. NDTV's features and debate shows provide an ideal platform for open discussions on issues surrounding HIV/AIDS. Recently, as a part of its association with Heroes Project, NDTV ran HIV/AIDS focused shows on You Decide, The "X" Factor and Dr NDTV in addition to special stories on the subject in the week leading up to World AIDS Day 2004. Plans for this year include a mega event based show for World AIDS Day 2005 that will allow for greater audience interaction on the issue.

Prasar Bharati
The Public broadcasting group, representing Doordarshan and All India Radio, has been doing award-winning work over the last few years on HIV/AIDS working with the National AIDS Control Organization. In the coming year, partnering with Heroes Project, Prasar Bharati hopes to build on its HIV/AIDS messaging experience using television and radio programmes and expose their huge audience to HIV/AIDS information. In a plan to renew ongoing efforts, they will sponsor airtime for a film series embedding messaging around HIV/AIDS, women's empowerment and youth related issues. The partnership will also produce and air programs and PSAs with a regional focus.

SET India
Being a network of entertainment channels, Sony Entertainment Television (SET) India believes that AIDS education can be entertaining. Sony TV is committed to embedding relevant HIV/AIDS messages into storylines of its most popular programs, such as the youth-based Indian Idol, the hospital-based Ayushmaan, and the detective thriller CID. Working with Heroes Project, these shows will introduce celebrities and elements of drama, to influence audiences. E.g. The Indian Idol's youth icons will alert other teens about the risks of HIV/AIDS. SET India has also committed substantial free airtime for PSAs across its various properties.

STAR India
In July 2004, Heroes Project launched its first public awareness campaign with Star Television Network. Star India has provided the project with approximately Rs. 214 million (USD 4.65 million) worth of free airtime across its various channels annually, over a three-year period. Through Star TV, HIV/AIDS messages can not only be disseminated to a wide base of audience - close to 70 million people, but also the focused reach of niche channels such as Channel V or Star Movies provides an opportunity to reach specific groups such as youth and housewives.

Sun Network
The SUN Network has committed a sustained mass media campaign that will play a critical role in influencing social attitudes and behaviors towards HIV/AIDS in south India. A strong programming mix by the Sun network includes prime time programming, developing a new celebrity based show, an interactive health show and PSA promotion. SUN has offered to engage their most popular programmes such as Metti Oli and Anna Malai in delivering responsible messages to their audience. They have committed 5-6 episodes of their call-in health show and a woman based show, Magalir Mattum, to get out appropriate advice. Suryan FM will also be part of the concerted media campaign, which will involve radio jockeys.

The Hindu
A pioneer in AIDS journalism, the Hindu group is committed to filling gaps in reporting and analyzing the problem of HIV/AIDS in India. They propose to incorporate content on HIV/AIDS in their 'Newspaper in Education (NIE) programme' for schools, and cross-promote this programme in The Hindu's special feature section "Young World". With a focus on women empowerment messages, the group seeks to leverage its various editions and content development power, to develop high quality educational resources such as booklets on HIV/AIDS. In addition, The Hindu plans to lend its AIDS journalism expertise for developing regional journalistic capability and in agenda building, by means of workshops and journalism school modules.

Zee Network
Zee with its numerous entertainment channels, reaching over 500 million viewers, plans to weave in HIV/AIDS awareness messages into its top programmes such as Astitva and musical shows like Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and Antakshari. Storylines of prime time shows, Kareena Kareena and Kabhi Han Kabhi Na, will weave in tracks that highlight concerns and issues related to the youth. Zee Network through its regional channels under the Alpha brand will help in reaching viewers in small towns and cities also.