JAMES NACHTWEY,
the preeminent conflict photographer of his generation, recently shot
a Time cover story on AIDS in Africa, which included his ten-page
photo essay on the subject:
HIV flourishes in a state of unawareness. Theres no immunity to
AIDS, and science hasnt yet produced an AIDS vaccine. The prevention
of AIDS is a matter of awareness. The press, and in particular still
photography, can play a tremendous role in public education. It can
illustrate many of the social conditions in which HIV spreads. It can
make real the consequences of AIDS. It can demystify and humanize a
disease that can only be fought through compassionate understanding.
Recently
Time magazine published a cover and 20 pages on the subject of
AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa (Time, February 12, 2001), including
ten pages of black-and-white photographs from my two trips to Zimbabwe
and South Africa. Serious coverage of this depth runs counter to current
trends in visual journalism in America. It was a bold and decisive statement
by the editor of Time, Jim Kelly, and a recognition of the power
of the press to create awareness and to help advance the dialogue surrounding
a vital issue. It was a reaffirmation of journalistic responsibility.
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