Abstract
In this study we examined the social construction of stigma toward HIV/AIDS in the Israeli press by comparing newspaper articles on HIV/AIDS, a highly stigmatized illness, and heart disease, a nonstigmatized illness in Israel. We carried out thematic content analysis of 242 newspaper articles published over a 12-month period. Two counter themes emerged from the analysis. HIV/AIDS was portrayed as a "foreign illness" mainly afflicting immigrants from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia. In addition, HIV/AIDS was constructed as a disease of "the deviant other," particularly gay men, who pose risk to themselves and those around them. By contrast, heart disease was defined as a "local illness" of "ordinary" individuals, and an unpredictable phenomenon. The mirror images of HIV/AIDS and heart disease, which were involved in the stigmatizing process of HIV/AIDS, reflect the wider moral-sociocultural order of Israeli society.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1033-1049 |
Number of pages | 17 |
Journal | Qualitative Health Research |
Volume | 20 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1 Aug 2010 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- HIV/AIDS
- heart health
- illness and disease
- media
- social construction
- stigma
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health