The Journalist David Perlman from San Francisco Chronicle was the first American journalist to report on AIDS in June 1981. He tells the story of his first article on AIDS, and how reporting on the epidemic affected him.

Sten Vermund from University of Alabama reflects on the history of the global AIDS epidemic and his involvement in the field as a young scientist in the 80's. He discusses the social and economic factors of HIV/AIDS, such as stigma, poverty and the drug industry.