Although migration and integration of immigrants have been dominant issues in public debates across Europe for years, their coverage in the media often lacks contextual awareness. In several European countries, the public debate on COVID-19 infections has been focusing heavily on the role of minorities in spreading the virus – in spite of a lack of empirical evidence, nationally or internationally. The #MediaMigrationEurope network facilitates exchange between organisations grappling with these kinds of complex issues.
In 2018, MEDIENDIENST INTEGRATION launched #MediaMigrationEurope. The network has grown to over 70 members from more than 30 organisations in 19 countries across Europe by 2021. At a kick-off workshop in 2018 in Berlin, member organisations identified several crucial, common challenges in their work at the intersection of migration and the media:
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A worried, negative tone is common in media coverage of migration and integration across Europe - regardless of the number of immigrants de facto residing in each country.
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The voices of people directly affected by the debates, such as immigrants, refugees and representatives of minorities are rarely heard.
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Social media and 'hate speech' have a strong impact on these debates.
The network helps showcase relevant, recent work on migration and the media in Europe and connects the dots between them. Some of the more than 30 member organisations are:
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European Federation for Journalists (EFJ) is an umbrella organisation for journalist unions. It advocates on issues such as media freedom in its member countries and provides training opportunities - like its workshop series in spring 2021 on best practices for reporting on Islam and Muslims in Europe.
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The Oxford Migration Observatory analyses migration data with relevance to the UK - for example, on migration and Brexit, or migration and the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) promotes human rights across all sectors and areas of society in the European Union. In 2020, it co-launched the e-learning platform for journalists on ethical migration journalism, which will soon be available in multiple languages.
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Carta di Roma is an Italy-based media outlet and media support organisation set up to implement the Journalist's Code of Conduct on immigration reporting. It runs a newsrooms as well as journalism trainings in Italy and several African countries.
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Community Media Forum Europe (CMFE) provides a pan-European platform advocating the interests of community media internationally. Its recently concluded the project 'New Neighbours' that sought to highlight positive contributions of migrants in their destination countries. CMFE also works against hate in the media.
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Fundación Al Fanar facilitates cross-cultural understanding between Spain and the Arabic-speaking Middle East through contextualising media coverage. Its project Observatory of Islamophobia is a watchdog on Spanish media and aims to counter discriminatory narratives.
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Media Diversity Institute is a UK-based organisation promoting ethical reporting. Among other pro-diversity media projects, it leads the pan-European cooperation 'Get the Trolls Out' against anti-religious hate in the media.
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Neue Deutsche Medienmacher*innen (NdM) advocates for a diverse media sector in Germany and provides mentoring for journalist with a family migration history. In March 2021, they released a media diversity guide (in German) with concrete steps and recommendations on how to diversify media organisations.
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Migration Policy Group (MPG) is a research institute producing research on integration and migration. MPG regularly issues the Migration Integration Policy Report (MIPEX) measuring effectiveness of integration measures across select countries globally
For more information, contact otwinowskimediendienst-integration.de.
By Martha Otwinowski
