The Kaiser Family Foundation, in conjunction with Princeton Survey Research Associates, conducted a comprehensive examination of media coverage of HIV/AIDS from 1981 to 2002. The study investigates the volume of HIV/AIDS coverage over time and key events, domestic versus international focus of coverage, the portrayal of affected populations, story topics, the tone of the media coverage, the length and placement of the coverage, and the consumer education component.

An overview of the study, "AIDS at 21: Media Coverage of the HIV Epidemic 1981-2002" was a supplement to the March/April 2004 issue of the Columbia Journalism Review.

 AIDS at 21: Media Coverage of the HIV Epidemic 1981-2002 (.pdf)