When dealing with immigration, racism and cultural diversity, the media should seek to challenge commonplace prejudice with facts, according to Aidan White, secretary general of the International Federation of Journalists.
During the first morning of a three-day conference on Immigration, Racism, Cultural Diversity And The Media, being organised by the Institute of Maltese Journalists (IGM) at the Hilton, Mr White spoke of how media coverage of immigration in Europe operates in a context of racist political parties and xenophobic movements which feed into a prevalent public anxiety.
For example, rightist movements often argue that immigrants take jobs from locals and have a negative effect on the economy. But data had shown that there is a great need to increase the labour force in many European countries while several studies had indicated how immigrants are a net economic benefit for the countries they settle in, Mr White said.
"Through informed and well-researched reporting, journalists need to help the public understand that the world is complex and that it is not a problem that people with different identities and cultural backgrounds live together," Mr White said. At the same time, it was wrong to ridicule people's concerns and anxieties.
During a presentation made earlier by civil lawyer and lecturer Ruth Farrugia, who spoke of refugee and immigration legislation, a brief discussion ensued about how immigrants are referred to in the local media.
There was some confusion when it came to distinguish between immigrants, asylum seekers, refugees and people who have been granted humanitarian protection and those who have been rejected refugee status, Dr Farrugia said, drawing attention to the implications which the different terms carry.
The use of "illegal" and "irregular" to describe immigrants was, legally speaking, passé because entering Malta without valid documents had been decriminalised, Dr Farrugia said. On the other hand, a person was an asylum seeker from the moment he has applied for refugee status until the appeal stage.
Brenda Murphy, a lecturer and cultural researcher at the University of Malta, discussed the use of different terms the Maltese media used in referring to immigrants.
An analysis of terms found in letters to the editor in Sunday newspapers between 2003 and 2005 reveals how immigrants were called different names including illegal immigrants, irregular immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, klandestini, foreigners, unwelcome guests, and in a single instance even klieb (dogs).
In one instance last summer, an item during the 8 p.m. news bulletin on the Public Broadcasting Services compared the "invasion" of migrants with that of jellyfish, Dr Murphy said.
Hadish Haile Gabre Mariam, a young Eritrean psychologist who landed in Malta last year and who spoke at the beginning of yesterday's seminar, called on the media to understand the problems which have forced immigrants to flee their countries, saying he would have preferred staying in his homeland if he had a choice.
Mr Hadish, who was interviewed by The Times in April, gave an account of his experience in his home country and how he had to leave following imprisonment and years of persecution due to his political engagement in the student union and the opposition party in Eritrea.