This study aims to investigate how AIDS and the related issues are presented in the news. A content analysis of the AIDS coverage in 12 newspapers from November 1, 1995 to March 31, 1996 was conducted. Based on the content analysis results, news coverage of AIDS was mostly found in the medicine page. The main issues of focus were campaign activities, personal events and AIDS prevention work. News sources of the stories centered around medical experts, scholars and government officials. Major problems found in the coverage included unbalanced reliance on and no clear indication of the news sources, followed by vague use of medical languages, misattribution and discrimination against certain groups.