Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1986. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Associated Press - September 1, 1986
"We regret but understand Bill's decision and respect his wishes," John E. Simonds, the paper's executive editor, said in announcing the move.
"As a journalist, I have spent my career trying to shed light in dark corners," Mr. Cox wrote in the bylined column. "AIDS is surely one of our darkest corners. It can use some light.
"The dilemma for people with AIDS is that by treating the disease as a secret, we help breed more fear and shame and guilt. Only more openness about AIDS will change that.
"By writing about AIDS, I am following a tradition of journalists who have written about their illnesses to help educate, and, if blessed by finding the right words, to help others with the disease feel less alone," Mr. Cox added. "Most of all, I am writing to say if we don't want to be treated as a pariahs, we have to stop acting like one."
Mr. Cox, who is 37 years old, has been managing editor of The Star-Bulletin since January 1984. He previously worked 11 years for The Louisville Courier-Journal in Kentucky, and was its city editor for five years. He was born in Kentucky and graduated from the University of Missouri.
AIDS, or acquired immune deficiency syndrome, is an incurable disease in which a virus attacks the body's immune system, leaving its victims susceptible to a wide variety of infections and cancers.
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