Today's story provides a handy guide to the dark arts of the press
It is a truth universally acknowledged that migrants get a rough ride in the British press. But how do they do it?
Today’s Daily Mail provides a crash course in the dark arts of demonising migrants. Here are some of the basics:
1. Do not refer to migrants as people.
It is of the first importance that these people not be seen as human. Instead, use words like ‘figures’, ‘numbers’, ‘influx’ – or indeed, ‘migrant’, which simply means a person who moves from one place to another.
2. Use numbers instead of words where possible.
Words can be slippery. To avoid breaking step 1, use numbers like 18,000, as in today’s story. This helps creates the idea of migration as a pest control problem, or a force of nature, rather than a man-made crisis that involves human lives.
3. Use the language of crime.
Discuss migrants as you would criminals. Some examples from today’s story are ‘sneak’, ‘evade’, ‘targeting’ and ‘caught’. These are bad people doing a bad thing. They deserve to be punished. (Add a scary picture of dark-skinned people if you can.)
4. Do not quote people who care about migrants.
Pick your sources with care. Organisations which worry about the safety of migrants should not be quoted if possible (as they are not in today’s story). This might cause readers to see another side of the story, learn about its context and the causes of migration, hear ideas for solutions, and even empathise with the migrants themselves. Instead, seek quotes from police, tough-guy politicians, truck drivers, British tourists, and so on.
5. Do not speak to migrants.
This may be the most important step. Under no circumstances should you interview the people trying to reach Britain. Asking about their experiences and motivations, or just about their family or their favourite food, could risk readers seeing them as human, and should be avoided at all costs. This includes the cost of good stories or honest journalism.
There are other steps, and not all of these are kept all the time. Reports of migrants drowning in the Mediterranean has broken through the usual filters as a regrettable anomaly. Generally though, some adherence to the above will ensure you write about migrants correctly.
Adam Barnett is a staff writer at Left Foot Forward. Follow MediaWatch on Twitter
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39 Responses to “Daily Mail’s 5 step guide to demonising migrants”
stevep
These are the tactics of dehumanisation, used by military, political and religious despots throughout history. The Nazi`s in 1930`s Germany and Italy`s Fascists were particularly good at it.
Lord Rothermere, who owned The Daily Mail in that period, was friends with Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini and the editorial stance of the paper was sympathetic towards Fascism in the early 1930`s.
The Daily Mail has sought to distance itself from that stance in the intervening years but it`s consistent reporting on and support of, what we on the left might consider to be far-right ideological notions and ideals, dressed up as good old British common sense, have left more cautious thinking people appalled and wondering if, as well as a right-wing economic push back to the 1930`s, there is an ideological one happening too.
stevep
These are the tactics of dehumanisation, used by military, political and religious despots throughout history. The Nazi`s in 1930`s Germany and Italy`s Fascists were particularly good at it.
Lord Rothermere, who owned The Daily Mail in that period, was friends with Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini and the editorial stance of the paper was sympathetic towards Fascism in the early 1930`s.
The Daily Mail has sought to distance itself from that stance in the intervening years but it`s consistent reporting on and support of, what we on the left might consider to be far-right ideological notions and ideals, dressed up as good old British common sense, have left more cautious thinking people appalled and wondering if, as well as a right-wing economic push back to the 1930`s, there is an ideological one happening too.
Torybushhug
The public are sick of enduring the platitudes and abstract defence narratives employed by the metropolitan liberal sect that relentlessly seek to deny the very real toxic effects of mass immigration experienced by millions.
The left has rendered itself wholly out of touch and figures of fun for their being so utterly disconnected.
But one of hundreds of examples; Self employed trades in their millions have come here and undermined the incomes of self employed British trades people. Everyone except the naïve liberal left has real world experience of this (their Brother, Mate, Father etc) and seen how it has devastated local incomes of once proud people earning a decent crust. The sixth form style left brushes this aside as some DM ranting without understanding millions are actually experiencing this and it is devastating for their self esteem, not to mention the knock on effects on their marriage and children (sorry no holiday this year unlike those nice middle class Liberals whos incomes are immune to being bided down by an army of happy migrants).
Remember these are self employed people that cannot demand a higher wage, customers only pay the going rate.
Again this is but 1 example of the toxic effects of mass immigration.
GhostofJimMorisson
The Nazi`s in 1930`s Germany and Italy`s Fascists were particularly good at it.
Well you’ve lost the argument already.
Saleem Shady
The Left cares more for immigrants than it does for British people. That is one reason why it will continue to lose, and why all it will ever do is write internet articles in impotent fury