low down on FOX’s low down-low story

Well I watched it this morning while getting dressed, though the teasers for it were put at every commercial break, it was a 6-minute long story in the middle of the newscast. They started out interviewing two women, one hiv+ and one anonymous in silhouette (I’m not sure of her hiv-status), both were “surviving” – the one willing to show her face said “I’d be ok with it if he’d slept with another woman […] because that’s more socially acceptable […] what can another man offer him that I can’t?”
They also interviewed J.L. King, who frankly just wants his picture all over the place, yet (Black) America is missing the irony of his broad smile that says “I cheated around on my wife and kids with men behind her back, and I’ll tell you how its done in my book!” — and Ron Simmons from Us Helping Us, an organization that has a “Down Low” anonymous helpline.
Overall the story didn’t fill me with any
more hope than the other stories about this. Most of them seem designed to target pre-existing fears and homophobia in the black community (AS IF THIS ONLY TAKES PLACE AMONG BLACKS*) – and make women go out and buy more sistagirl books. Of course, this was a FOX news story.. taking up a valuable 6 minutes of the hour long newscast (that’s 10 whole percent!). This is the station that runs all-day teasers for news stories like “Find out what common household items can KILL YOU.. on FOX News at 10”
I wrote them and asked for a transcript of the story, but I don’t know if they’ll respond. This is one topic I don’t relish coming up at the family holiday dinner table.
* The reason they focus so much on Blacks is that Black women have the highest percentage of HIV infections (approx. 72% in 2002.. I think 64% in 2004?).. reportedly gained through heterosexual contact.