Compiled by María Teresa Aveggio, Programme Manager

In the late 90s an editorial in WACC’s Media Development identified migrants as the primary victims of the process of globalisation [3/98]. Over a decade later nearly one billion people are on the move both within their own countries and overseas. Of these some 200 million are international migrants (UNDP Human Development Report 2009). WACC has recognised that people who for one reason or another attempt to flee from various insecurities - be it economic downturns, impoverishment, growing gaps between the rich and poor, conflicts over national and personal identities – are, in the first place, among the most vulnerable sectors of any society. Most of them face multi layered discriminations.

As part of its Building and Recognising Communication Rights programme WACC has supported initiatives launched by migrants groups in different parts of the world aimed at letting migrants’ voices be heard without mediation. (see http://www.waccglobal.org/en/cr-updates/1874-alternative-broadcasting-for-migrant-workers-.html).

Media representation of issues of migration and migrants has been a matter of debate and discussion by scholars and activists alike. Is media representation of migrants fair or not? Are the myriad reasons which compel people to migrate truly represented in all their complexity? Do migrants constitute a group whose rights are nonexistent?
 
As part of marking International Day of Migrants, December 18, we reproduce below an article by Reynaldo Blion, Media and Diversity Manager, Council of Europe and former members of Panos, which deals with the complex issues of migration and media.

http://www.radio1812.net/media-and-migration-ambiguous-relationship-complex-debates
 

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