Results of the Pilot Study on Selected Italian Media

Transcription

1 Results of the Pilot Study on Selected Italian Media THE MEDIVA PROJECT Iryna Ulasiuk Mediva Third European Workshop London, April 2012

2 NEWSMAKING PRACTICES Italian Media Outlets participating in the Pilot Study: La Nazione, La Repubbica, Il Sole24Ore, Il Corriere della Sera and TV Rai TG3

3 NEWSMAKING PRACTICES Several common features can be noticed with regard to practices of news-making with respect to migration-related topics in the media selected for the analysis. Migration news is treated as any other type of news and as such is given attention only when something extraordinary or newsworthy happens. In such cases, special programmes/articles are presented/published, including with reference to the news from migrants countries.

4 NEWSMAKING PRACTICES Migration related news is normally integrated within various sections of the newspaper depending on the topic at hand (criminal news, social news, etc.) and can occupy from front-page position to inside pages position depending on the importance the newspaper/ TV channel gives to it.

5 NEWSMAKING PRACTICES Diversity and migration are rarely treated as topics per se. This explains partly the fact that almost no media outlet has journalists specializing exclusively in migration or diversity issues. The topic is normally treated by journalists reporting criminal news, social news, etc. Journalists dealing with migration topic on most occasions consult various sources, including migrant sources (migrants, migrant associations, CSOs, NGOs, etc.).

6 NEWSMAKING PRACTICES Normally the process of choosing which news is published/presented is dictated by a wide-spread practice of the editor deciding what will be published or reported. Notwithstanding that journalists have a say in the process by drawing attention of the editor to an interesting/ controversial migration-related argument. In most cases, readers can react to what they read by placing their comments in the corresponding section of the newspaper. Here, racist or offensive language is normally not accepted.

7 MEDIA RECRUITMENT AND EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES There is very little understanding of the need to ensure that the staff of the outlet should reflect the ethnic diversity of the growingly multicultural Italian society. The most important criterion in hiring a journalist is his/her excellence, professionalism and the prestige and reputation of the school of journalism the potential employee attended. His/her ethnic origin is a secondary thing.

8 MEDIA RECRUITMENT AND EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES No need for positive discrimination with respect to persons of migrant origin has been observed. There is very little awareness of the need for outreach schemes that involve supporting individuals from an immigrant background. It is rather thought that it might a task of journalistic schools to sensitize their students and take steps to ensure that persons with an immigrant background are prioritized in the admission process to such schools.

9 MEDIA TRAINING PRACTICES practically absolute absence of diversity training the scores for indicator 4 were very low. training as such offered by media outlets is a rarity. T training schemes are most likely introduced when there is need for technical training,. it is the responsibility of each journalist to keep him/herself updated by attending conferences, workshops, organized outside the media outlet.

10 MEDIA CONTENT materials on migration issues occupy a marginal place ranging from 0.58 to1.47% of the total news items. When reference is made to migrants they are often either passive protagonists or active ones portrayed negatively.

11 MEDIA CONTENT Migrants still remain one of the main actors of criminal news with their ethnic origin or religious belonging stressed in the headlines: La giovane sera innamorata di un romeno. Trovata morte a Milano dopo tre giorni ; Bologna. Musulmano cerca di sgozzare la fidanzata ; Va in parocchia, il marito la uccide. Marocchina presa a martellate

12 MEDIA CONTENT the media take a more neutral stance in reporting new legislative developments with regard to migrants and dedicate more space to them when important events happen. the sampling period was characterized by several important migrant related events. more space was given to migrant related issues on those days by all of the examined outlets

13 MEDIA CONTENT Differences are also observed in the way migrants are presented in general press/tv and specialized newspapers. Thus, il Sole24Ore, a daily primarily specializing in business and economic news has adopted a rather neutral or positive tone in describing migrant related news. Migrants are referred to in terms of their economic contribution, demographic issues, cultural issues, etc. and on no occasion as evil doers.

14 MEDIA CONTENT the media take a more neutral stance in reporting new legislative developments with regard to migrants and dedicate more space to them when important events happen.

15 MEDIA CONTENT The sampling period was characterized by several important migrant related events: release of the decision of the ECHR on the illegal expulsions of migrants by Italy the introduction of new more stringent rules for the residence permits issuing the issue of citizenship for the children of migrants born in Italy.

16 MEDIA CONTENT migrants voices are absent in mainstream news and only on rare occasions they are present in news directly relating to migrants. The estimates show that migrants opinions, views are present in as low as 1 to 16% of the total migration related news.

17 MEDIA CONTENT See more: Or contact