What
A list of tools and resources for journalists, broadcasters and media organisations who want to cover migration and refugee crises ethically and responsibly.
Public media best practices
Some of the key principles of public media, including accuracy, accountability and impartiality, must be at the forefront of journalists’ coverage when reporting on and helping audiences understand refugee crises and migration issues. Here we have a roundup of some of the key examples of public broadcasters’ coverage, projects and advice on how to best cover such events.
How Public Service Media Are Helping Public Understanding Of The Refugee Crisis
EBU (April 2016)
European public broadcasters have been responding to the migrant and refugee crisis by undertaking initiatives that help their listeners and viewers make sense of the situation. In this European Broadcasting Union piece, the initiatives of broadcasters in Germany, Greece, and Sweden are highlighted and can serve as useful case studies for how other broadcasters are tackling reporting on migrants and refugees.
MPR News Ethics Guidelines
MPR News (Updated November 2016)
While these news ethics guidelines from the Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) do not specifically touch on the coverage of refugees and migrants, they serve as useful tools that journalists can use to maintain high professional standards, regardless of the stories they write. MPR furthers highlight the importance of public service to all journalists – that is, loyalty first to the public, and providing the public with high-quality information.
Refugee Radio project by WDR
WDR
Responses to the refugee crisis and migration issues do not have to be limited to reporting on them. Instead, news organisations can respond by diversifying their media offerings to better integrate and welcome refugees and migrants into their new societies. In this example, we see how WDR in Germany has launched its “Refugee Radio” – which provides news on relevant services such as health, law, voluntary initiatives and integration – in Arabic, German, and English. News, information and services are broadcast on both a live stream and on the radio.
Reporting the European Migrant Crisis (Listen)
‘Over to You’, BBC World Service (March 2016)
“How is the BBC covering the latest change in the situation for migrants across Europe?… Rajan Datar speaks to BBC producer Kostas Kallergis who is currently on the ground reporting on the daily events as they unfold in Greece.”
[Text sourced from BBC World Service]
ZDF’s coverage of a recruitment drive
Movement on the Ground, ZDF (September 2018)
Covering stories that involve migrants and refugees does not have to be all “doom and gloom”. In this example, German public broadcaster ZDF reports on a recruitment drive by the Movement On The Ground organisation and highlights the positive contributions refugees have made to the workforce in Amsterdam and The Netherlands as a whole.
Organisational guides
Here we have compiled a list of resources and guides produced by media freedom and media development organisations that offer their advice on how to cover migration and refugee crises.
8 tips for migration coverage
EFJ
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) lists 8 practical tips inspired by a speech delivered by Michael O’Flaherty, Director of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights. They include using correct wording, use of social media and videos, media literacy skills and more.
Covering Immigrants & Immigration: Tips from Experts
Dart Center (January 2014)
Emanating from its workshop on “Covering immigrants and refugees”, the Dart Center put together tips from participating experts who spoke about issues such as identity protection, the evolution of the immigration beat, and linguistics.
Ethical Journalism Guidelines for Migration Reporting (Video & PDF)
EJN (November 2016)
The Ethical Journalism Network has 5 top tips for journalists when reporting on migration:
- Facts not bias
- Know the law
- Show humanity
- Speak for all
- Challenge hate
Dorothy Byrne, Chair of the EJN Board of Trustees, explains these 5 top tips in more detail.
We also recommend that you explore EJN’s other migrant reporting resources, including:
As the conflict escalated, and the humanitarian disaster with it, creating the biggest refugee crisis in our generation, our appeals for wider media attention, with some notable exceptions, fell on deaf ears with an apparent lack of interest on the part of the vast majority of television and radio companies and major newspapers.’
[Text sourced from EJN]
In collaboration with the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), this resource includes additional sources and guidelines for journalists covering human trafficking.
Ethical journalism practices on migrants and refugees
EFJ (August 2018)
This European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) training module covers the cultural, ethnic, and political considerations which surround the ethical and responsible reporting on migrants and refugees. Using case studies, the module guides journalists through the process of getting the story right by considering the right sources, word choices, and ethical questions, among other factors.
How the Media Can Better Listen to Refugees
The New Humanitarian (June 2018)
“Refugees in Canada talked to journalism company The Discourse about how to improve media coverage of refugee issues. They share the top takeaways for refugees preparing to speak to the media and for journalists seeking to provide better coverage of displacement.”
[Text sourced from the New Humanitarian]
Journalists’ resources for reporting on immigration
Poynter (June 2018)
Resources include covering data, interviews, in-field practices, and key definitions.
Media and migration, covering the refugee crisis
UNESCO
“In this context, untrained reporters are failing to pick up the relevance of differences between the terms “migrants”, “asylum-seekers” and “refugees”. But “words matter”, observed Melissa Fleming, spokesperson for the UN’s High Commissioner for Refugees.”
[Text sourced from UNESCO]
Media Coverage of Migrants and Refugees in Audiovisual Media (Workshop report)
CNMC (2018)
The report pulls together an overview of how migrants and refugees are represented in media coverage and includes recommendations on how to improve more ethical reporting of these groups. This includes focusing on the core values of ethical journalism; how regulatory authorities can improve reporting by protecting diversity and freedom of speech and expression as well as how education and media literacy help to create a better understanding and reduce negative representations.
Media Coverage on Migration: Promoting a Balanced Reporting
United Nations’ International Organisation for Migration (2017)
This report by the IOM explains how journalists should draw on a diverse range of sources, especially from migrants themselves, when reporting on migration. The report also states the opportunity and benefits of drawing from migrant reporters. It expresses how journalists should report on migration with the complexity it deserves, looking at all the contributing factors and issues surrounding the topic.
Migration reporting learning for the media by the media
EUAFR, EBU, EJN, EFJ (June 2019)
The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, in partnership with the European Broadcasting Union, the Ethical Journalism Network and the European Federation of Journalists have launched a new e-learning platform to provide journalists with expert tools for reporting on migration.
The tool kit provides learning resources, training courses and opportunities for journalists to share and interact. The course draws input from leading media outlets across the world, covering migration from a range of different media forms.
Reporting on Migration (Online Course)
Thomson Foundation
Thomson Foundation are offering this free online course, which ensures that journalists “have a basic firm understanding of the complex issues of migration, refugees, and human trafficking and their impact on the politics, economics, demographics, environment, security, education and cultures of affected countries and beyond.” The course lasts approximately 10 hours. Thomson Foundation is also offering other free online courses, which can be found here.
Spaces of Inclusion – An explorative study on needs of refugees and migrants in the domain of media communication and on responses by community media
Council of Europe (2018)
This study was published by the COE and produced by The Community Media Institute (COMMIT) based in Austria and several authors – Salvatore Scifo (Bournemouth University), Jonas Hassemer (University of Vienna), Brigitta Busch (University of Vienna), journalist Nadia Bellardi and Helmut Peissl (COMMIT). The key research question asks: “What role do media in general and community media in particular play for (recently arrived) refugees and migrants in response to their particular needs and with regard to their human right to freedom of expression, which includes the right to information?”
Insights from Media Practitioners
Journalists reporting on migrants and refugees from the field are in the unique position of gaining first hand understanding of the issue. Academics who have also studied media coverage of migration issues also have much to offer with their reflections. In this section, we feature opinion pieces, tips, and interviews featuring journalists and media practitioners with experience in covering migration.
Chasing dinghies: media must remember asylum seekers are human beings, not just a good story
The Conversation (August 2020)
Glenda Cooper, a senior lecturer in journalism, offers her reflections on recent media coverage of asylum-seekers and migrants, including sources of information and the balance between visuals and carefully chosen words. She further reflects on the role journalists should play in its coverage, whether as an onlooker or a participant.
Refugees, migrants, people: why words really matter in our reporting
EJN (June 2020)
Guy De Launey, a journalist who covered the 2015 European refugee crisis, reflects on his experiences and the impact media have in shaping negative public opinions on refugees not only then but even now following the COVID-19 pandemic. He further reflects on the use of the word migrant and the connotations which come with it.
Reporting the refugee crisis, Accessing news online, Achieving ‘balanced’ EU coverage. (Radio report)
The Media Show, BBC (June 2016)
War correspondents and foreign journalists often have to witness distressing scenes in the execution of their jobs and these may pose serious risks to both their mental and physical safety. Journalists covering refugees and migrants are also open to these risks. In this episode of The Media Show by the BBC, Lindsey Hilsum, a veteran correspondent, and Hannah Storm, the now former Director of the International News Safety Institute, speak on the emotional and mental toll reported by journalists covering these stories in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean. The relevant segment can be listened to from 20:10 to 28:01.
Why Al Jazeera will not say Mediterranean ‘migrants’
Al Jazeera (August 2015)
For news organisation Al Jazeera, the word migrant when reporting on the Mediterranean region has been used frequently and inaccurately to cover a range of complex stories. In this article, the organisation explains the nuances behind the word and why it no longer uses it to refer to what it sees as a refugee crisis in the region instead.
The Ethics Of Reporting On The Refugee Crisis
Rai
In this interview with Prix Italia, Tom Law (formerly of the Ethical Journalism Network) reflects on media coverage of migrants and refugees and the limits of news media. He further offers his recommendations on how the media can report on migration in new and captivating – yet humanising – ways.
Intersectionality
Refugees and migrants are more than their situations. There are a number of intersections which must be considered, such as race, gender, religion, culture, and age. These resources provide guidelines, tips, and additional resources for reporting on specific demographic factors and complement other tools found on this page.
Covering Immigrants & Refugees: Immigrants, Refugees and Mental Health (Watch)
Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma (January 2014)
In this video by the Dart Center, a panel of specialists discuss how to deal with immigrants and refugees dealing with trauma or mental health issues.
Refugees and Asylum-Seekers Are Disproportionately Impacted by COVID-19. Can the Media Stop Politicizing Them?
Media Diversity Institute (May 2020)
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted lives globally. But for refugees and asylum-seekers the pandemic has had a disproportionate impact. This article by the Media Diversity Institute highlights the additional difficulties being experienced by refugees and asylum-seekers and ways in which media organisations can responsibly bring their issues to public attention.
Reporting on Migration and Minorities Approach & Guidelines
Respect Words Project (September 2017)
This guideline, as part of the Respect Words project, focuses on how media outlets and journalists can rethink the way in which they cover issues related to migration and ethnic and religious minorities. This guideline provides an analysis and summary of best practices for media coverage of migrants and minorities, specifically Muslim, Roma, and Jewish communities.
Resources for reporting on children and young adults
PMA
Our resources for reporting on children and young adults can be useful when covering refugees and migrants.
Trauma & Journalism: A Guide for Journalists, Editors & Managers
Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma (2007)
This guide by the Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma can help journalists, editors, and managers make sense of how to responsibly and sensitively cover stories involving trauma, including armed conflict and war, rape and violence, and traumatic events in a community. This resource is particularly recommended for its focus on the journalist’s role in reporting the story, such as self-care and managing one’s own trauma.
Humanitarian Crisis Reporting
Humanitarian crisis reporting tools can be useful for understanding the complexity of the situation and the longer-term causes of refugee crises and migration. Drawing from how we report on humanitarian crises may provide some useful insight, advice and tips.
Humanitarian journalism in crisis
Dr Martin Scott, Bond (January 2019)
Humanitarian journalism is in crisis. This is the crux of recent research conducted by Dr. Martin Scott, in collaboration with Bond, Dr. Kate Wright, and Dr. Mel Bunce on the state of humanitarian journalism. There is an acute lack of regular news coverage of humanitarian affairs, the report found. With focuses on how conflicts are reported; the effect of critical news coverage of the aid sector on public opinion; and audience perception of mainstream news on humanitarian journalism, the report is useful for journalists interested in covering humanitarian issues.
Reporting On Humanitarian Crises
Internews (2014)
This manual by internews is targeted at trainers, journalists, and humanitarian workers. It emphasises not only the importance of information during humanitarian crises but information that provides a better understanding of what is happening, what help is available, and how people can better take care of their families. Ultimately, the manual strives to facilitate the development of cutting-edge tools and strategies for improving the flow of communication among humanitarian organisations, local media and the people affected by the crisis.
This list of recommended guidelines and resources for refugee crises and migration coverage has been compiled by the Public Media Alliance team. We aim to frequently update this page.
Header Image: Katsikas, Greece- April 4, 2016. A man walks into Katsikas refugee camp. Credit: AshleyWiley/iStock