Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1992. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
San Francisco Chronicle - Wednesday, October 14, 1992
In public service television commercials that debuted yesterday, Taylor pleads emphatically with viewers to "use condoms every time you have sex -- every time!"
The ads, sponsored by the American Foundation for AIDS Research, will air on network and cable stations. The campaign also includes print ads, which will appear in major magazines in the coming months, and radio spots.
"This campaign was created because the federal government simply is not doing its job," said the Rev. Margaret Reinfeld, the foundation's director of education. The government's AIDS campaign, launched in March and sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control, "has failed to give practical information to the American public about protection against HIV," the virus that causes AIDS, she said.
Government-sponsored television commercials tell viewers to protect themselves but do not use the word "condom." Instead, viewers are instructed to call a toll-free number -- a number activists say is almost always busy -- to find out more explicitly how to practice safe sex.
The CDC's multimillion dollar campaign has been sharply criticized by AIDS activists.
Government health officials have countered that their campaign intentionally omitted words like "sex" and "condom" to ensure that the ads would appeal to the broadest possible audience.
In the foundation's campaign, Taylor tells people who are "gay, straight and bisexual" to use condoms. Injection drug users are told not to share needles. Among the major networks, ABC has agreed to air the spot but will run a subti tle that reads "If you choose to have sex, use a latex condom." Fox Broadcasting will run it; CBS and NBC have yet to decide whether to use it, the foundation said.
Among cable stations, the ad will appear on CNN, Lifetime, Arts & Entertainment and Turner Broadcasting System, among others.
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