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journalists appeared overtly sympathetic to the challenges faced by their sources in the Armed Forces and the police, others are highly critical of government
and state institutions, but they still sought to defend national interest vis-a-vis external players (that include foreign states, EU structures and the interna‑
tional media). On the front line of migration debates some prominent Maltese journalists are challenging several myths that include: the false perception
that most immigrants are illegal; the popular view that irregular immigrants originate from sub-Saharan Africa or the Middle East; the narrative that
immigrants do not contribute to the economy and hence they are dependent on welfare; the common myth that majority of the Maltese people embrace
racist views and reject integration.
PP 260
What Do They Say to Migrants? A Comparative Analysis of the Communication of Bodies and Associations That Manage Asylum
in Belgium Daily
A. van Neste-Gottignies
1
1
Université Libre de Bruxelles, Department of Information and Communication, Bruxelles, Belgium
Asylum as well as migration more broadly have become a central theme in understanding the evolution of societies. Press analysis shows that editorial
processing volume on migration issues continues to increase. This question attracts constant, complex media coverage. Further, the subject is becoming
an object of political passion because it raises forcefully the question of human rights. These questions – beyond being topical – are an integral part
of the public sphere, essential to the constitution of public opinion and public policy. The issue of migration, or more specifically “the refugee crisis”, is
an important matter of speech and communication (Rea, 2016), hence it is essential to understand and analyse communication in this area. So far, research‑
ers have taken an interest mostly in the analysis of media content and the representations of migrants. The perspective I have taken is different: I study
the “contract of communication”(Charaudeau’s “Contrat de Communication”, 2011) between administering bodies and the migrant. I believe that, beyond
what the media, politicians or people are saying about migrants, it is important to question what bodies that daily manage asylum are saying to migrants
– such bodies are no less producers of representations and content. How can we understand the realities of migration without knowing how organisations
that support migrants think and work? Who are the stakeholders in such organisations’ communication to migrants? What are their practices for the pro‑
duction of communication? Studying such practices implies field survey methods including interviews and participant observation. This is the exact focus
on my research. This paper analyses how four institutions working on asylum and migration in Belgium communicated with migrants from 2006 to 2016.
These organisations are the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless
Persons, the Federal Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers, and a Belgian NGO called Coordination and Initiatives for Refugees and Foreigners. Thanks
to its strategic position within the EU, Belgium appears to be an interesting starting point to study migration, even though, by definition, the issue exceeds
the borders of a state. An important preliminary result turns out to be that communication to migrants is hardly visible. This finding leads me to explore
the potential reasons behind this lack: is it a question of the shortfall of resources for such communication? Are we talking about an unmediated channel
of communication, with the institution in touch with the migrant verbally in a way that leaves no trace? Is communication to migrants deliberately invisible,
and, if so, why?Working on this subject entails an interdisciplinary approach combining different theoretical literatures, such as migration studies, informa‑
tion and communication science, history and sociology. From a socio-historical approach (Noiriel, 2006), I incorporate together corporate communication
and discourse analysis.
PP 261
Migrants and Refugees from Nine National Perspectives A Discursive Analysis of Articles from the Online Newspaper the Local
M. Mattus
1
1
Jönköping University, School of Education and Communication, Jönköping, Sweden
This study examines aspects of refugee- and migrant issues seen from different national perspectives in the English language online newspaper The Local.
Even though refugees and migrants from Africa and Asia have arrived in Europe during several years, the event that really triggered media’s attention,
and placed the issue on the agenda, was the drowning of a Syrian refugee in the beginning of September 2015. At that time news media started to talk
about a “refugee crisis” and a “migrant crisis”. The image of, as well as the story about, three years old Alan Kurdi, laying with his face buried in the sand
on a beach in Turkey, were rapidly spread though the news media, causing strong reactions. Some newspaper even found the image too upsetting to
publish. Its symbolic value was obviously strong, in this light skinned little boy many European individuals could see their own children, or grandchildren.
As an eye-opener for media and its audience this piece of foreign news transgressed borders. From first being characterized as foreign news, this foreign
incident could have a domestic outlook, for instance, that a Nordic child could have been involved. Because of the crossed boundaries it would also fit in
a wider transnational news discourse. The purpose of this study is to examine articles from The Local, published during two weeks in September 2015,
starting with the incident above. The Local was launched 2005 in a single Swedish edition written in English. Today, it publishes national news from nine
countries (Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Spain, France, Italy, Norway and Sweden), all editions are in the English language. These news are
mainly directed to people that do not understand the country’s native language, but the aim is also to make national, or local, news available for individuals
outside the country. The Local’s ambition is to break down barriers and bring people closer together. For this study, 179 articles dealing with issues related
to migrants and/or refugees were chosen. The selection principles used were that the article’s headline included the words “migrant” or “refugee”, and/or
that the article was provided with the kicker“Migrant crisis”or“Refugee crisis”. The method is a qualitative text analysis to enable a discursive approach on
aspects like cosmopolitism, Eurocentrism, nationalism and ethnocentrism. The use of, and distinction between, the concepts “migrant” and “refugee” will
also be analyzed in order to see whether they are interchangeable. The discursive constructions found in the material will be further discussed, for instance,
what kind of borders are The Local transgressing – as a newspaper and concerning the examined issue? What overall perspectives could be understood as
principally inclusive or exclusive? Finally, there is a comparative dimension involved, focusing on similarities and differences between how the nine editions
are presenting respective country’s national news.