On World AIDS Day, Obama Administration Reveals Significant Efforts To Combat Spread Of HIV/AIDS

World AIDS Day Was Observed On December 1, 2013. December 1 is World AIDS Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about the AIDS pandemic. The 2013 theme for World AIDS Day was “Shared Responsibility: Strengthening Results for an AIDS-Free Generation.” [AIDS.gov, accessed 12/2/13]

President Obama Delivered A Speech To Commemorate World AIDS Day. On December 2, President Obama delivered a 10-minute speech commemorating World AIDS Day and outlining his administration's support for AIDS prevention efforts. He was joined by Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, who also reaffirmed the administration's commitment to combating the spread of HIV/AIDS. [C-SPAN, 12/2/13]

Obama Announced $100 Million Initiative To Research New Therapies To Combat HIV. According to the Associated Press:

President Barack Obama announced a new initiative at the National Institutes of Health in pursuit of a cure for HIV, saying his administration is redirecting $100 million into the project to find a new generation of therapies.

“The United States should be at the forefront of new discoveries into how to put HIV into long-term remission without requiring lifelong therapies, or better yet, eliminate it completely,” Obama said. [AP, 12/2/13]

Obama Pledged Up To $5 Billion To Fight AIDS Globally. President Obama pledged to give up to $5 billion to the Global Funds to Fight AIDS, representing a $1 billion increase from the previous round of funding. According to The Washington Post:

President Obama pledged Monday to give up to $5 billion to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria over the next three years, saying that an “AIDS-free generation” may be within reach.

The pledge represents $1 billion more than the United States committed during the previous round of funding in 2010, when Obama faced criticism for not doing enough and setting a bad example that gave other countries an excuse to limit their donations. The $5 billion contribution -- which is the amount activists requested -- will be delivered if other countries commit to giving $10 billion under a funding ratio set by Congress.

[...]  

The announcements represent a redoubling of global efforts to fight AIDS. Despite billions spent on research in the 34 years since the disease was recognized, a vaccine has eluded scientists, and efforts to stop the spread of the illness through preventive measures -- such as microbial gels -- have been unexpectedly challenging. One million Americans are living with AIDS today. [The Washington Post, 12/2/13] 

Fox News Largely Ignored Commemoration Of World AIDS Day

Fox News Spent 15 Seconds Acknowledging World AIDS Day. According to an Equality Matters analysis, between December 1 and 2, Fox News spent 15 seconds acknowledging World AIDS Day - one mention on America's News HQ informing viewers that they could watch the president's remarks on FoxNews.com. CNN and MSNBC spent 10 and 20 minutes discussing World AIDS Day, respectively, with both networks airing significant portions of Obama's commemoration speech:

Fox Spent Nearly 5 Minutes Discussing Mall Of America Money Thrower. By contrast, Fox News spent more than four minutes between December 1 and 2 discussing Serge Vorobyov, a man who threw $1,000 in dollar bills off an escalator in the Mall of America on Friday, November 29:

METHODOLOGY

Equality Matters searched news transcripts provided by TV Eyes for the terms “AIDS” and “HIV” between December 1 and December 2. Reruns and teases for upcoming segments were excluded.