July 17, 2017
At this year’s biennial Southern African AIDS Conference (SAAIDS) in June the media room was buzzing with five young journalists covering the conference, and their mentors from Community Media Trust (CMT), Internews and AVAC. The journalists started every day with an early-morning meeting with guest researchers and advocates who provided background and highlights of the day ahead. With notebooks and recorders in hand they fanned out each day to find their stories.
AVAC has partnered with CMT since 2013 to produce the What’sUpHIV blog to report on HIV conferences in South Africa, but for the first time we provided scholarships to journalists whose sole mission at the conference was to write for the blog.
Together, the five journalists published 25 posts that we are proud to share with you. Don’t miss the personal story from a young woman who uses PrEP, or the reports on controversies around the South African National Aids Council’s (SANAC) new strategic plan, or the provocative piece decrying public attitudes towards women’s vaginas.
These young journalists played a key role in broader coverage of the conference. And we’re not the only ones who think so. Many of their stories were picked up and promoted by AllAfrica.com and by several South African news sources.
To read more news and views from the conference head to whatsuphiv.blogspot.co.za and look for more from these enterprising young journalists in years to come!