Communicating immigration the "right" way

The media covers immigration issues every day.

But the news we read in the papers or watch on the television does not always convey the whole story. And too often it even contributes to perpetrate deep-seated prejudice and trigger unnecessary fear.

An increasingly globalised society means that immigrants are making a significant contribution to the country’s growth and international development.

In Italy, for example, a recent survey shows that the number of immigrant entrepreneurs is on the rise. The number of immigrant-owned firms has tripled since 2003 and is growing at a rate of around 20,000 per year - while the number of Italian-owned firms is declining.

It also shows that many Italian enterprises survive and flourish thanks to the labour provided by non-Italians.

But this social phenomenon is certainly not causing Italians to lose their jobs, homes or rightful place in society as many seem to fear.

It is a European reality that society has effectively become multi-racial and multi-cultural. And how the media portrays this reality has a huge effect on how the population perceives and interprets the dynamic scenario in which we live.

That’s why the Italian Ministry of Labour and Social Policies has promoted the publishing of a special “manual” for media operators. It’s called “To communicate immigration” and it aims to give journalists and others involved in media an instrument to provide correct information.

Linda Bordoni spoke to Stephen Ogongo, journalist and editor of “Africa News” about the manual and the issues at hand.

Kenyan-born Ogongo, is editor at “Africa News”, a newspaper and website where to find the latest immigration news from all parts of the world.

He was invited (together with Vatican Radio’s Dulce Araujo) to participate in the presentation of the new manual, in recognition – he says – of his own contribution to the immigrant community here, portraying their reality, and providing information.

Of the manual he says it is a relevant and interesting, because he says you often find that those who communicate immigration don’t know enough about it and often end up passing on wrong information.

He says the message is a very important and delicate one, and this book can really help, also to avoid being superficial because in speaking of immigrants, you are really dealing in people’s lives.

It is a frequent contradiction he says, that on one hand, Italians trust their babies and their elderly people to immigrants; on the other they see them as a threat. “It’s as if they are on the street they are different people” to the ones we have working inside our homes. And journalists, he says, have the responsibility to help the public understand that these are the very same people and that we need them.

Ogongo says that when he arrived in Italy 16 years ago the attitude was welcoming. Throughout the years, thanks also to media reports of huge and seemingly threatening influxes of desperate immigrants, the attitude of Italians has changed radically.

The manual, Ogongo says, gives space to the “good news” stories that tell of immigrants who have come here and “have made it”, thus illustrating the many positive things they have to contribute, as well as providing valuable information which is necessary to journalists to be able to give an impartial picture.

Listen to the interview…