How Media Fear-Mongering Around New Diseases Perpetuates Stigma
When new, previously unknown diseases or infections are publicly linked to transmission following a sexual encounter, the media tends to frame them as something to be feared.
Typically, this framework uses the same fear-based rhetoric seen in abstinence based sex ed classrooms like, “Is monkeypox an STI?” or “How to tell if your partner might have monkeypox.”
As one might imagine, the media profits off stigma and broad assumptions specifically repeated to sex. The media knows how to target its audience and will utilize clickbait as a way to drive viewers.
Luckily, @inaparkmd broke it down for us all. Please head to her Instagram for a great post debunking fact from stigma. 🤓