When a Celebrity Contracts a Disease: The Example of Earvin "Magic" Johnson's Announcement That He Was HIV Positive

MARY K. CASEY Department of Communication, University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA

MIKE ALLEN Department of Communication, University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA

TARA EMMERS-SOMMER Department of Communication, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

ERIN SAHLSTEIN Department of Rhetoric and Communication Studies, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, USA

DAN DEGOOYER Department of Communication, University of North Carolina--Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA

ALAINA M. WINTERS Department of Communication Studies, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA

AMY ELISABETH WAGNER Department of Communication Studies, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA

TIM DUN Department of Communication, Media, and Theatre, Northeast Illinois University, Chicago, IL, USA

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Abstract

This meta-analysis summarizes the available data concerning the impact that the public announcement that Earvin "Magic" Johnson, a National Basketball Association All-Star, had tested positive for HIV. The results demonstrate that the announcement increased the level of accurate knowledge in persons, the number of persons getting tested for HIV, and the desire to obtain more information about HIV and AIDS. For adults the impact of the announcement was to increase the perception of vulnerability while for children/adolescents the announcement diminished the perception of risk.

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When a Celebrity Contracts a Disease: The Example of Earvin "Magic" Johnson's Announcement That He Was HIV Positive

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When a Celebrity Contracts a Disease: The Example of Earvin "Magic" Johnson's Announcement That He Was HIV Positive

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