An Evaluation of the Representation of HIV/AIDS in Iranian Cinema and Television from the Viewpoint of Experts in Health Communication

One of the functions of the media is the social production of meaning. The media can use their communicative power to change the attitude of society about health issues such as HIV/AIDS. In the present research the representation of this disease in Iranian cinema and television from the viewpoint of experts in health communication is studied. So it can give both an understanding of the current situation in this regard as well as the media potentials of Iran. In-depth interview was used as the data collection technique in a qualitatively content analysis method. The target population consisted of experts in health communication. The sampling was purposeful and continued until theoretical saturation was reached. In this study fourteen Iranian experts in health communication were asked three questions: why is the encounter of the media with HIV/AIDS important? How do you evaluate the representation of HIV positive patients in Iranian cinema and television? Are there potentials in Iranian cinema and television to help deal with the social issues concerning this disease? The findings of this study indicate that while experts find the role of the media in solving social problems connected with HIV/AIDS very important, they level criticism at the function of Iranian cinema and television and the meanings that are constructed through them about HIV/AIDS. There seems to be a weak interaction between experts in health communication, doctors and health authorities and the producers of TV programs.