African
broadcasters pledge more AIDS coverage

Broadcasters from more than 20 African countries have signed a declaration pledging to provide more coverage to AIDS issues, SABC News reports. The declaration, signed at the close of a three-day summit on the media's role in Africa's fight against HIV, calls for building on current efforts to educate people in Africa about HIV and to expand collaborations between nations hard hit by the disease to boost HIV-prevention efforts and education. The broadcasters say they will focus particularly on reporting on issues related to children, youth, women, and other high-risk groups throughout the continent through AIDS-related programming and public service announcements. The broadcasters ended the summit, held in South Africa, by pledging to meet again in one year to review their progress. The summit was organized by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, and the South African Broadcasting Corporation, in association with the Southern African Broadcasting Association. (Advocate.com)