Safer sex

Editors are clearly conscious of their role in encouraging safer sex both in 'home grown features' within the magazines and in supplements or articles inserted by health education agencies. Agencies like the HEA and the FPA have found that magazines offer one of the most effective vehicles for promoting information about safe sex. This is potentially an ideal alliance, since magazines are more likely to be read by young people and official sources more likely to be factually accurate.

One problem for the official agencies is that association with the teenage magazines, because of the charge that they encourage early sex, makes them a target for criticism. An HEA safer sex feature in one women's magazine produced the headline: State cash helps fund 'teen sex' magazines (Telegraph 11.2.96; Jo Knowsley). Yet the HEA have found editors very willing to contribute expert advice and creative assistance in campaigns. This co-operative relationship is helped by large amounts of advertising money the HEA spends on magazines and also the responsibility of editors who are often acutely aware of the influence they wield among readers (Mitchell, 1996).

Contact: Kerry Neilson , TMAP secretariat, kerry.neilson@ppa.co.uk, 0207 400 7520

Teenage Magazine Arbitration Panel (TMAP)
28 Kingsway
London WC2B 6JR

tel: 0207 400 7520 - fax: 020 7404 4167 - email: kerry.neilson@ppa.co.uk - web: www.tmap.org.uk -

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