Link - IOM Publications - International Organization for Migration

was conducted between the UK Red Cross and the Pakistani Red
Crescent to get a better idea of the needs and circumstances of the
Pakistani communities who have settled in the UK.
Partnerships with Media
A final area of potentially very powerful partnerships exists
between the media and other stakeholders. The ability of the media
to affect public perception of migrants by casting them either as
being beneficial or burdensome to the host society can have a
determinative effect on integration and social cohesion. For this
reason and others, participants valued media as an important
partner in the integration process.
The role of the media can be twofold: On one hand, the media
can help governments, migrant associations, and other civil society
organizations to disseminate accurate and unbiased information
about the realities of migration. By portraying the human side
of migration as well as the positive aspects of diversity and
multiculturalism, media can complement integration efforts made
by other stakeholders. Portugal, for instance, has mentioned
specific plans to sensitize media to their important responsibility
in this area.
On the other hand, media provides a channel of communication
with migrants themselves. The Internet and media resources such
as newspapers, imported from countries of origin, help diasporas
to stay in touch with their home countries. In countries with
large and established migrant communities specialized media
has frequently developed to cater to these specific groups by
reporting in the migrants’ native language on issues relevant to
the country of destination. lastly, bilingual programming can
support the acquisition of language skills by migrants as well
as granting members of the host society access to the language,
culture and issues relevant to migrants. This can contribute
significantly to cross-cultural understanding and social and
cultural integration.
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