PBS’ ‘Frontline’ Airs Series ‘The Age of AIDS,’ Marking 25th Anniversary of First AIDS Diagnosis
PBS' "Frontline" on Tuesday is scheduled to begin a two-part series, "The Age of AIDS," examining the science, politics and human cost of HIV/AIDS at the 25th anniversary of the first AIDS diagnosis. The program includes comments from:
- Zackie Achmat, South African HIV/AIDS advocate;
- Irish musician and HIV/AIDS advocate Bono;
- Former President Bill Clinton;
- James Curran, dean of the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University and a former director of the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention at CDC;
- Anthony Fauci, director of NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases;
- Helene Gayle, president and CEO of CARE USA;
- The Rev. Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan's Purse;
- David Ho, director of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center in New York City;
- Cleve Jones, who started the AIDS Memorial Quilt in 1987 and served as its spokesperson for 15 years;
- Noerine Kaleeba, who founded The AIDS Support Organization in Uganda;
- Peter Piot, executive director of UNAIDS;
- George Shaw, a virologist at Howard Hughes Medical Institute;
- Mervyn Silverman, former president of the American Foundation for AIDS Research; and
- Mechai Viravaidya, a Thai senator and director of the Population and Community Development Association (PBS release, 5/30).
Renata Simone, "Frontline" senior producer and reporter, said that reporting on HIV/AIDS requires a different journalistic approach than reporting on other issues. "I think in health journalism, and in covering this subject, you have to find out what the right answer is ... before we go to print or before we go to air. The stakes are too high," Simone said (Oswald, Winnipeg Free Press, 5/30). The New York Times reports that "with all the outrages and grievous mistakes of the last quarter-century piled up, this has become a tremendously important television document with real impact" (Gates, New York Times, 5/30).
Resources
The program's Web site will include information on how HIV crossed species to infect humans; how the virus affects the body and why it is so hard to treat; a global map of HIV infections and deaths; the response to HIV/AIDS by various countries; a multimedia timeline of breakthroughs and setbacks in the pandemic; special reports on recipients of HIV/AIDS funding; the pharmaceutical industry's response to the pandemic; the issue of making HIV testing more widespread; and interviews with HIV-positive individuals. "The Age of AIDS" will air from 9 to 11 p.m. ET Tuesday and Wednesday on most PBS stations. Check local PBS listings for show times (PBS release, 5/30).
A video preview of the program is available online in RealPlayer.
A transcript of the program will be available online after the broadcast.
Complete video of the program will be available online in RealPlayer and Windows Media after the broadcast.
Related Coverage
- NPR's "Talk of the Nation": The program on Tuesday is scheduled to include an interview with Fauci about his experience with HIV 25 years ago (Conan, "Talk of the Nation," NPR, 5/30). The complete segment will be available online in RealPlayer after the broadcast.
- PRI's "The World": The program, a production of BBC World Service, PRI and WGBH Boston, on Monday reported on the "diverse and isolated" cultures in Papua New Guinea, where ancient and modern customs have created a "fertile ground" for the spread of HIV/AIDS (Fink, "The World," PRI, 5/29). The complete segment is available online in Windows Media. A photo slideshow from Papua New Guinea's Tobriand Islands is available online.
- PRI's "The World": The program on Tuesday is scheduled to include a report on how HIV-positive children in Kenya are increasing HIV/AIDS awareness among illiterate East Africans through music ("The World," PRI, 5/30). The complete segment will be available online in Windows Media after the broadcast.
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Washingtonpost.com: Simone is scheduled to answer questions about the film in a Washingtonpost.com online chat on Wednesday at 11 a.m. ET. A transcript of the chat will be available online.
- The Kaiser Family Foundation on Tuesday as part of its From the Media series interviewed Simone. The complete segment is available online.