edgarde's Journal: CDC restricts AIDS Service Organization websites

• submitted Friday, 07 June 2002 -- since I was an Anonymous Coward, I can't see the status, but I doubt it's still pending

Got a phonemail message this morning asking if we needed to take the agency website down. The CDC is extending the 1992 requirements for HIV educational materials (Section 5, subsections 3 & 4) to now include websites published by organizations receiving CDC funding, even in situations where the site in question is not CDC-funded.

Formerly the requirement only applied to materials purchased or distributed with CDC funds -- they may not "promote" sexual activity (heterosexual or homosexual) or injection drug use, and must be locally acceptable. The chilling effect on written AIDS Education materials is widely believed to have hampered prevention efforts in the US.

"Community Standards" in the form of Program Review Panels will now be required to audit information published on the web by any CDC-funded organization, at the risk of losing funding. Very few AIDS service organizations will risk losing funding over speech issues as they are occupied with providing direct services to clients.

Bold and italics as in the original fax, links and brackets are my enhancements:

April 29, 2002

[name and title removed]
Procurement and Grants Office

Dear CDC Funding Recipient:

This letter is in follow-up to our reminder of the requirement that all HIV educational materials supported with CDC funds must be approved in advance by your Program Review Panel (reference letter dated August 23, 2001, from John L. Williams). As provided in the guidelines published in the Federal Register on June 15, 1992, the term "HIV educational materials" includes written materials (e.g. pamphlets, brochures, fliers), audio visual materials (e.g., motion pictures and video tapes), and pictorials (e.g. posters and similar educational materials using photographs, slides, drawings, or paintings). When the requirements were developed for community-based review of AIDS materials, the Internet and the World Wide Web were not used by the general public as a major source of information as it is today. Because of the prominence of the web in the information environment, materials placed on the web can be accessed by anyone with Internet capabilities. Recognizing this information environment, it is necessary to notify Internet web users of the nature of information they may be encountering on a website containing HIV/AIDS-related materials funded through CDC grants/cooperative agreements.

For all current and future CDC awards and/or modifications, we require that a web page notice be used by funding recipients who maintain websites to alert individuals who may be searching or browsing the web, this web page notice will apply to (1) those recipient websites funded in whole or part with CDC funds that contain HIV/AIDS educational information subject to the CDC guidelines referenced above; and (2) those recipient websites containing HIV/AIDS educational information subject to the CDC guidelines referenced above, even if the website itself is not funded by the CDC. Proposed language for the recipient to use for the web site notice is enclosed.

You will be receiving a revised notice of grant award within the next two weeks, which will incorporate this web notice responsibility and constitute your agreement to comply with this and other requirements explained on Content of AIDS-Related Written Materials, Pictorials, Audiovisuals, Questionnaires, Survey Instruments, and Educational Sessions , published in the Federal Register on June 15, 1992. Included in the revised notice of grant award will be a certification that should be signed and returned to the Procurement and Grants Office. Not complying with these requirements will result in restrictions or disallowances of funds related to the use of the unapproved materials and related staff activities. You can obtain a copy of these guidelines from the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/forminfo.htm.

If applicable, the placement of this notice on your website should be completed no later than June 14, 2002. Please contact your Grants Management Specialist with any questions about this new requirement or your grant.

Sincerely ...[snip]

Republicans in Congress have targeted prevention materials (link reprints an expired LA Times article), and the Bush Administration's opposition to sex education while favoring "Abstinence-only" programs is much documented.

In case you're wondering what a sex-positive presentation might look like, here's one website not targeted at the Abstinence Community (you've clicked on links worse than this, but not for the timid anyway), from the AIDS Committee of Toronto.