Comments on: Refugees in the media: Villains and victims

By: Unveiling the Truth: A Deeper Dive into the Refugee Crisis – Sara Ammar's Media Blog

Fri, 08 Mar 2024 17:50:18 +0000

[…] the spread of fear and distrust towards refugees. The media’s portrayal of refugees as either victims or villains contributes to a harmful “us vs. them” mentality that stops empathy and connection. For […]

By: Revealing the Truth: The Refugee Crisis Through an Unfiltered Lens – Sara Ammar's Media Blog

Sun, 11 Feb 2024 14:25:50 +0000

[…] in the media: Villains and victims (2017) Language on the Move. Available at: https://languageonthemove.com/refugees-in-the-media-villains-and-victims/ (Accessed: 11 February […]

By: The rights of refugees in Africa are under threat: what can be done - George Onin Lending Mortgage Services

Sun, 22 May 2022 15:58:01 +0000

[…] the notion of the refugee as a person needing safety has altered in practice, if not in law. Representations in the media abound of displaced persons as law breakers, deviants and criminals who are burdens on a state and […]

By: Africa: The Rights of Refugees in Africa Are Under Threat – What Can Be Done – Kenya Diaspora Movement

Thu, 19 May 2022 14:26:57 +0000

By: The rights of refugees in Africa are under threat: what can be done - Naijal

The rights of refugees in Africa are under threat: what can be done - Naijal — Wed, 18 May 2022 19:44:28 +0000

[…] the notion of the refugee as a person in need of safety has altered in practice, if not in law. Representations in the media abound of displaced persons as law breakers, deviants and criminals who are burdens on a state and […]

By: Why we should stop framing the Auckland terrorist as a refugee | trend

Why we should stop framing the Auckland terrorist as a refugee | trend — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 22:15:34 +0000

[…] violence. This builds on wider negative media representations of refugees, which portray them as a threat to host societies. Such framing comes to be seen as common […]

By: 44285736

44285736 — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 05:42:00 +0000

Thanks for the post, refugee crisis has become the issue in the world. PNG has a similar international issue with Australia on the issue of refugees stationed in Manus Island. There settling of the refugee had a negative effect on the Island life. The island people had many social issues that popped up resulting from that decision. Because the two countries came up with the agreement that the refugees mostly man could be free to move around until such time that they find a proper arrangement for them. While waiting for that, a lot of young women in the Island become pregnant from the man in the refuge camps. There are other social issues also but the Australia and PNG government should make a new decisions to quickly resettle the refugees. The temporary camp has now passed it time frame. There are other human right issues that both governments need to discuss.

By: Katherine Douglas

Katherine Douglas — Sat, 30 Sep 2017 07:19:00 +0000

I enjoyed Greenbank’s comment that “…Instead of being framed using linguistic strategies that suggest victimhood, refugees and asylum seekers could perhaps better be framed as capable, resilient people…” In our own lives, we all place certain people into “mental boxes”, as to the type of people they are. This can be unfortunate, especially if our first meeting with them was a negative one (“First impressions count”), and they try to do better by us, but we are determined to keep them in the “negative box” permanently. It is frustrating for that person, and probably is for refugees trying to move past that.

The media would certainly do well to remember that refugees can, and do, overcome their hardships and make wonderful lives for themselves and people around them – just like non-refugees! Just because they are refugees doesn’t mean they will stay that way, doomed to a negative life and that they won’t try to better their circumstances, and succeed. The media needs to stop buying into the “refugee victim” stereotype, and more “empowering.”
.
If I play “the victim card” in my head when things go wrong, I am dis-empowering myself, and things don’t improve.
If I refuse to do so, accept responsibility and take action – more power to me.
It is the same with people trying to make a new life in a new country, and they don’t need articles painting them as helpless victims during that process.

By: S. J. L.

S. J. L. — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 08:37:00 +0000

Thank you for the insightful article. Often it is spotted to make fun of the weak because they are weak. On the contrary, it rarely happens to mock someone with power. Given that most refugees do not have power, they readily become targets of negative description. The problem is that some media tends to mark the refugees as a main threat of the society regardless of another factor that can threaten the society. Therefore, it is important to have a balanced view toward the exiles so that we can distinguish the biased media reports.