Journalists' knowledge of AIDS and attitude to persons living with HIV in Ibadan, Nigeria

This study surveyed 254 journalists from the seven media organisations in Ibadan, Nigeria, to assess their knowledge of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), attitude to persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWA) and reports of AIDS-related issues. The journalists' overall mean AIDS knowledge score was 10.6 out of 14 points. About one third (29%) believed that the bite of a mosquito could transmit HIV and 28% thought that AIDS could be cured if detected early. Although 75.2% agreed that the rights of PLWAs to employment should be protected, 49.6% believed AIDS patients should be detained in hospital to prevent the spread of HIV. About a quarter (25.2%) had received training about HIV/AIDS, while 74.8% had not. The majority (65.4%) had never written any report on HIV/AIDS-related issues, while 35.6% had done so. Journalists in Ibadan do not have adequate knowledge of AIDS, and many of them show negative attitude to PLWAs, thus undermining their potential ability to educate the public about AIDS. Advocacy and training workshops are recommended to address this problem.