Media’s Contribution to the Migrant Crisis

Summary Paragraph to Daniel Trilling’s Article “How the Media Contributed to the Migrant Crisis”.

In Trilling’s article, he talks about how the media and actions of the EU altered the definition and perspective of migrants. He voices how the media coverage of migrants can alter public opinions. Specifically, during the peak of Europe’s migrant crisis in 2015, the media gained further insight into the views and lifestyles of these refugees, as they left their initial countries to seek asylum in Europe. However, with news outlets being driven by corporate funding, they were more compelled to pick and choose certain stories that would get higher ratings than those that could represent the refugees more sympathetically. Because of this, mainstream media instilled a biased perspective into its audience, possibly without knowing it.

Trilling also discusses how Europe did not help and possibly caused the migrant crisis. The creation of policies for military and arms trading within Europe “contributed to the conflicts and instability from which many people flee“.[1]  And due to the EU “prioritizing… border control over safe and dignified… conditions” [2]  through the use of treaties that enabled other countries to control immigration, immigrants were forced to travel more dangerously through alternative means. Trilling expresses that the media has not effectively displayed these concerns in news sources. 

Trilling also feels that the EU has not improved from its 2015 state. In fact, they have increased their control over the refugees attempting to cross their borders. He claims that the conservative parties within the EU “have made electoral gains… by promising to crack down on… refugees… daring to ask for shelter”.[3] this displays how to do political system in the EU continues to miss treat migrants, by refusing to protect the human rights of the people in need.

Citations

  1. Trilling, Daniel (Aug. 2019) “How the Media Contributed to the Migrant Crisis” (Para 11)
  2. Trilling, Daniel (Aug. 2019) “How the Media Contributed to the Migrant Crisis” (Para 12)
  3. Trilling, Daniel (Aug. 2019) “How the Media Contributed to the Migrant Crisis” (Para 21)

Asynchronous Assignment 2

“Some migrants may decide to move, but they do not get to decide the social conditions of their movement or the degree to which they may be expelled from certain social orders as a consequence.” – Thomas Nails (Pg.2-3)

When a vagabond chooses to travel, they are usually compelled to move away from an unstable change in their settlement. As this way of migration is more forced, it can result in various ramifications.

“In all of those situations the news media were able to do their basic job in emergency situations, which is to communicate what’s happening, who is effective, what’s needed the most.” – Daniel Trilling (par. 6)

In emergency response situations, the media is brought in to address it, what has happened and who is involved. During the chaos of most situations, the message communicated can often show only one side of the situation.