The impact of the media is not as prominent as the other two elements I discussed and for the most part it serves as a support system for my other ideas. However, there is one aspect of my understanding of AIDS that has been severely impacted by the media; the Hispanic community in Cleveland. As if it were a lost civilization, the Latino community has been completely overlooked in every article I read. When I searched the 625 articles in The Plain Dealer concerning AIDS, only one of them contained information about Hispanic or Latino ethnic groups. The article, titled A warning on AIDS LATINOS must hear, published in 2004 was slipped into the back of section B. The article mainly marvels at Lucy Medina, a Hispanic woman, and her success in surviving 18 years after being diagnosed with HIV. It also discusses some of the flaws of the Hispanic community concerning AIDS.  The article states “The Latino community is so hush-hush about the disease. They would rather say that a person is dying from cancer than to admit that someone has AIDS” (5). I believed that the Latino community was not threatened nearly as much as any other group mentioned in the articles, specifically blacks and gays. However, after my research I was overwhelmingly astounded at the Hispanic rate considering I cannot recall reading a single article connecting AIDS to the Latino community. The Hispanic rate of those infected with HIV/AIDS in Cleveland is almost twice as much as the black rate and over three times the white rate according to a study done by the CDC in 2000 (7).  The Hispanic rate in Cleveland of 915 per 100,000 people is drastically higher than that of Ohio and the U.S. with rates of 313 and 610 respectively (7).  After reading these facts I was truly appalled at the complete disregard the media has toward Hispanics, resulting in the general public’s ignorance.