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Asylum in the media

A week hardly goes by when stories about asylum or asylum seekers do not make national headlines. Journalists are, quite rightly, keen to report on what is a matter of major public interest.

Many journalists across a wide range of media work hard to produce sensitive and responsible coverage of asylum - an issue that is highly complex and difficult to report on.

However, all too often, media coverage of asylum in the UK is negative, misinformed and one-sided. It frequently contains the kind of factual inaccuracies and misleading terminology which would not be tolerated in coverage of other sensitive issues. At worst, some sections of the tabloid press have waged what amounts to a concerted campaign against asylum seekers' most fundamental rights.

This kind of irresponsible reporting has a very real impact on our clients, who experience first-hand the hostility it can help create in the communities in which they live. The real issues behind asylum - our moral and legal duty to offer protection to those fleeing persecution, conflict and human rights abuses - are in danger of being forgotten.

There is another side to the asylum story that goes largely untold. Stories of courage and dignity in the face of unimaginable suffering and hardship; of survival in the face of war, conflict, persecution and torture; of dignity, determination and resourcefulness; and not least, the story of the enormous contribution refugees continue to make to the social, economic and cultural life of the UK.

Alongside other organisations, and in partnership with journalists and refugees themselves, Refugee Action works to bring about more balanced and informed coverage of asylum issues.

What you can do

Air your views

Journalists are accountable to their readers, viewers and listeners. If you read a newspaper article or see a news broadcast about asylum which you disagree with, or think is inaccurate, unbalanced or unfair, you have a right to air your views.

Equally, journalists appreciate praise. If you see some media coverage that is especially informative, insightful or moving, why not tell the journalist what a good job they've done?

The best way to respond to news items is to write a letter - or e-mail - either to the editor, or to the columnist or reporter who produced the piece.

If you want to air your views publicly, you can write to the letters page or to viewers and listeners' forums (for example, the BBC Online website). In any correspondence, make it clear whether your comments are "For publication" or "Private - not for publication".

Finally, remember to remain courteous and polite at all times, otherwise your remarks may not be taken seriously and will most likely be ignored.

Complain

Newspapers will often take their own editorial stance on controversial public issues, particularly columnists and leader writers. This is especially true of asylum. Newspapers are forums of opinion, and they play an important and valid role in scrutinising the Government and other publicly accountable institutions and services.

Unfortunately the downside of this is that coverage that you may regard as slanted, or even as racist or inflammatory, can often be defended by journalists as "fair comment" and in the public interest. There are few safeguards in place to regulate the press and rarely are there sufficient grounds for an official complaint to be upheld.

Nevertheless, there are some basic rules that newspapers are expected to abide by, and it is vital that members of the public do make complaints when these rules are breached.

The Press Complaints Commission, the industry's self-regulatory body, recently issued guidelines to editors warning against the use of inaccurate terminology when reporting on asylum - for example, the use of the term "illegal immigrants" to describe asylum seekers, who are in the UK lawfully.

More information on the PCC guidance and advice on how to go about making a complaint can be found below.

Further resources

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