The words we use and the angle of stories we tell have had a tremendous impact on the evolution of the HIV pandemic. They significantly shape the HIV response and affect lives – for better or worse. This panel will spotlight how HIV has been reported upon and debated, some of the main lessons learnt from over 40 years of HIV reporting, and what role the media may play in helping us reach our targets and overcome HIV as a threat to public health and individual well-being, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. The session will also discuss the future of health reporting more generally in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic: is health now higher up in the news food chain?