How television fought to counter misinformation related to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and 1990s
The disease that came to be known as AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) was first reported in June 1981, with five cases in the US. Scientists later identified the virus that was infecting people with AIDS and this became known as HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). In the UK, gay and bisexual men were by some margin the worst affected demographic during the early epidemic, leading to a vicious homophobic backlash in parts of the tabloid media, who (inaccurately) dubbed it the ‘Gay Plague’.
Television became an important platform for clinicians and LGBTQ+ activists fighting to counter misinformation and share safer sex messages. HIV/AIDS was routinely discussed in current affairs and news programming, investigative documentaries, educational films, dramas and artists’ film and video broadcast across terrestrial channels. In 1987, the British government belatedly launched a major public awareness campaign, AIDS: Don’t Die of Ignorance. This was led by the infamous ‘Iceberg’ and ‘Monolith’ adverts, produced by the Central Office of Information (COI) and voiced by actor John Hurt, who warned “anyone can get it, man or woman”.
The arrival of effective combination therapy in the mid-1990s drastically slowed the death toll in Western nations, including the UK, where it’s estimated that at least 20,000 people have died of AIDS-related illnesses since 1981. The message today is that those living with HIV and on effective treatment cannot pass it on. Yet the need for vigilance remains, and to support those without access to healthcare and information: total deaths globally hit 40 million in 2021 and AIDS remains one of the world’s biggest killers, not least in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Terrence Higgins Trust offers support, advice and information on HIV and sexual health. Visit tht.org.uk, call THT Direct on 0808 802 1221 or email
[email protected]. A directory of support organisations nationwide can be found at Find Your Four hivfindyourfour.co.uk
