Asylum and refugee issues feature heavily in the UK media, reflecting the issue’s political and popular importance.
Unfortunately, much of the coverage is negative and often hostile, offering a distorted, misleading and inaccurate picture of what it is to be an asylum seeker or refugee. So one of the most important jobs for the Refugee Council’s press office is to work to counter this type of reporting. We do this in a number of ways:
- Providing journalists with accurate, non-partisan information and statistics;
- Ensuring we are abreast of all breaking news stories so that we are able to get our voice heard too;
- Providing case studies of asylum seekers and refugees who are able to talk about their own experiences;
- Working with journalists to generate positive stories about asylum seekers and refugees.
We also work with the media to promote the Refugee Council’s activities across the country. We ensure coverage in national and local media for all Refugee Council events, conferences, and initiatives.
We publicise the Refugee Council’s campaigns to ensure as many people as possible get to hear about them and are given the opportunity to support us. The media is a key tool in our campaigning and a powerful way to lobby politicians and decision-makers.
We have links with refugee organisations across Europe and work with the media to advocate on behalf of asylum seekers and refugees at a European Union level.
We also work with asylum seekers and refugees across the country, to help them get their voices heard in the media. We offer advice and training to refugee community organisations and other community groups.
