[Media-watch] "Report fairly on aslym!" Press release of Article 19

[Sigi D]

From: Sara Buchanan <sara at article19.org>
Date: Tue Nov 18, 2003  10:28:07  Europe/London
To: ARTICLE <ARTICLE at article19.org>
Subject: ARTICLE 19 APPEALS TO BRITISH MEDIA TO REPORT
ACCURATELY AND FAIRLY ON ASYLUM 

	PRESS RELEASE

18th November 2003 - for immediate release 

ARTICLE 19 APPEALS TO BRITISH MEDIA TO REPORT
ACCURATELY AND FAIRLY ON
ASYLUM 

Today, ARTICLE 19, the Global Campaign for Free
Expression, publishes its
research report "What's the Story? Results from
research into media coverage
of asylum seekers and refugees in the UK". 

Key findings demonstrate that reporting of the asylum
issue in the British
media is characterised by the use of exaggerated and
unsourced statistics,
stereotypical imagery of the 'threatening single
male', and inaccurate
language. During a three month period, 51 different
labels were used in the
press to describe individuals seeking refuge in
Britain. The report
discusses these findings and offers recommendations to
all sectors in order
to promote a more balanced and informed public policy
debate. 

ARTICLE 19 welcomes the Press Complaints Commission's
recent decision to
publish a guidance note which alerts newspaper editors
to the problems that
can occur as a result of inaccurate, misleading or
distorted terminology in
reporting on asylum and refugee issues, and reminds
them that pejorative or
irrelevant reference to a person's race, religion, or
nationality is
prohibited under Clause 13 of the Code of Practice. 

Executive Director Andrew Puddephatt said, "No-one
should deny the right of
the media to express strong opinions about asylum
policy in this country but
readers, viewers and listeners should be able to
expect fair and accurate
reporting. Sadly, to date, the debate on asylum here
in Britain has been
misinformed, prejudicial and biased."

The report concludes two years of research undertaken
by ARTICLE 19 and the
Cardiff School of Journalism which involved
interviewing refugees and asylum
seekers, monitoring both the print and broadcast media
and conducting
interviews with reporters and/or editors on major
national newspapers. 

ENDS

Notes for Editors 

1. The PCC published its guidance note on refugees and
asylum seekers on
Thursday, 23rd October 2003. 

2. The report, "What's the Story?" can be downloaded
from the homepage of
ww.article19.org. For more information or a hard copy,
please contact Sara
Buchanan:  <mailto:sara at article19.org>
sara at article19.org, tel: 0207 239
1186. 

3. In December 2003, ARTICLE 19 will publish a report
on the necessity of
freedom of information for security and development in
protracted refugee
populated areas in Africa: "Left to Their Own Devices
- The Impact of
Informal Information and Communication Networks on
Security in the Tanzanian
Refugee Camps". To obtain a copy of this report ,
please contact John
Barker:  <mailto:johnb at article19.org>
johnb at article19.org


Sara Buchanan
ARTICLE 19
Lancaster House
33 Islington High Street
London N1 9LH
Tel: +44 207 278 9292
Fax: +44 207 713 1356
sara at article19.org
www.article19.org


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