Reporting on Refugees

Samantha Taylor
st279916@ohio.edu

I had the opportunity of visiting the US Together Refugee Resettlement conference at Ohio University's Dublin branch a few days ago. My afternoon was filled with listening to various panels of speakers, attending a workshop about the country of Rwanda, and networking with speakers after the events. As someone who knows minimal information about refugees, or how refugee resettlement non-profits operate, the conference was a great introduction to start building knowledge on the subject.

Photo by Samantha Taylor

I had known that Columbus and central Ohio's refugee population was growing, but I hadn't realized that it was growing at such a high and steady pace. It was mentioned by Kevin Smith, executive director of the Kiplinger Program at Ohio University, that Ohio has been ranked as the third-largest city home to refugees in the nation. Kevin went on to lead a panel that spoke about how journalists portray refugees in the news. One point that Mukhtar Ibrahim, founder, editor, and executive director of the Sahan Journal, spoke about, was the differences in refugee coverage five years ago versus today. He mentioned that once President Trump took office, people started paying more attention to refugees as more policies were continuing to be passed by the government. It was in these moments that the public began understanding how these policies are impacting people they know and the communities that surround them. Furthering the conversation, Danae King, an immigration reporter at The Columbus Dispatch, began realizing the more immigration and refugees are being reported on, the more people are putting a face to the very stereotyped words, "refugees" and "immigrants."

These journalists also spoke about the ethical challenges they faced when reporting on immigration and refugees. Mukhtar Ibrahim mentioned that it was quite difficult to get refugees to open up about their past or current experiences. Most of these people were closed off and felt that they did not want their private information shared with the public in any way. He explained that approaching the refugees and allowing them to change the narrative around themselves, is the strategy that has led to his current success in reporting. Allowing refugees to have the "ball on their side of the court" allows them to share as much information they want to disclose. Journalist, Dane King, also mentioned that a large part of her job was to avoid stereotyping refugees. This ethical code can be found within the SPJ Code of Ethics, stating "Avoid stereotyping journalists must examine the way their values and experiences may shape their reporting." It is important that journalists allow refugees to speak their own truth, without asking questions that constrain their answers and place stereotypical beliefs onto their story.

Overall, the day was very educational and inspirational. I learned that journalists should always cautiously approach refugees and use strategies (such as giving the person full reign over how much they disclose) that will allow refugees to feel comfortable in sharing information. I also learned that media can strive to tell more stories about refugees in the community that is giving back in a positive way. Often times, we hear sad or negative stories about refugees, and the panel explained that there needs to be a shift. Media can strive to become a better source of information on refugees, how countries have developed nonprofits that work with the governments and other organizations to make an impact, and how overcoming systematical challenges are always worth it in the end.