Syria has been in a state of war for 5 years now forcing millions out of their homes to seek safety in other countries. According to Vox, about 250,000 people have been killed and half of the country's population has been displace, with 4 million fleeing as refugees.
Though the problem is ongoing, mainstream media in the U.S. only recently began shining a spotlight on the issue. Many argue it was an image of a 3 year old Syrian boy washed up on a Turkish beach that finally prompted the world to care about the issue. Even so, the debate over whether or not Syrian refugees should be let into the country is ongoing, and many argue the United States government isn't doing enough to help their plight.
The United States lags behind other countries in numbers of Syrian refugees admitted
After the Paris attacks, the debate has heightened as to whether or not Syrian refugees should be let into the country. According to CNN, at least 31 U.S. governors have publicly said they will not allow Syrian refugees into their states. Many fear that the federal government cannot possibly screen out terrorists, and therefore our borders should remain closed. Other's simply think that American culture would be threatened by Muslim immigrants. I found a great New York Times article that not only talks about the fact that the U.S. is way behind in allowing Syrians into the country, but gives great statistics on the numbers that have been let in, where they currently live, and comparisons to other countries around the world. According to the article, Syrians made up about 2% of the 70,000 refugees admitted during the last fiscal year. All of these statistics can be made into great graphics about the U.S. and the refugee crisis.
This BBC article explains the migrant crisis, in graphics, with tons of statistics and numbers that could be useful to my story.
Image of dead Syrian child may have been turning point in media coverage of refugee crisis
Here I will show the famous image of the 3-year old Syrian boy washed up on a beach while making the trek to Europe from Syria. This is the image that comes to most peoples minds when they think of the refugee crisis. As I said before, this is an ongoing issue but it wasn't until recently that the media started to cover it. According to this article in NPR, many journalists consider the release of this photo to be a turning point in the coverage of this issue. One journalist is quoted as saying, "taking a step back and thinking about the refugee crisis that has been unfolding for months, if not years, this felt like a moment in time that stopped everything and really said, 'This is a tuning point.' This is a point where people may pay attention in a different way." This photo was spread all over social media too, bringing the realities of the crisis into the homes of most Americans. I will use this section to explore the impacts of this photo as a turning point of media coverage, as well as social media's impact on the spread of this image and other images like it. Journalists have to make decisions every day about whether or not to publish disturbing photos, but social media doesn't always have that filter. I would like to interview professional journalists about these decisions, specifically regarding Syria, and what they think are the impacts of these very expository photos on the American public.
Journalism professor at the University of Maryland, Pallavi Guha, thinks news organizations did the right thing in publishing the photo of the dead Syrian child washed up on a beach in Turkey. "It helped a discussion on the issue," she said. "Refugees from Syria are fleeing their country for the past so many years but there has not been much focus from the media or global or political discussion on the matter." Guha says this particular image really helped to focus people on the issue.
Journalism professor at the University of Maryland, Pallavi Guha, thinks news organizations did the right thing in publishing the photo of the dead Syrian child washed up on a beach in Turkey. "It helped a discussion on the issue," she said. "Refugees from Syria are fleeing their country for the past so many years but there has not been much focus from the media or global or political discussion on the matter." Guha says this particular image really helped to focus people on the issue.
Some news outlets, like NPR, expose range of reactions and actions towards refugees around the world
I want to use this section to talk about the media outlets that are doing a good job in covering the refugee crisis. This Huffington Post article examines how the media are reporting on Europe's refugee crisis. In the article, Ann Cooper, a journalist and foreign correspondent is interviewed about the issue. She says that some outlets do a great job in covering the crisis. By that, she means sometimes it may seem that the human beings at the center of the issue become anonymous numbers, but some media outlets succeed in keeping the story human. Vox is another outlet that tries to explain issues and give the background of issues to give the whole picture, and explain things like difference between migrant and refugee, for example. Sometimes, however, the big picture isn't the whole story. So, some media have made it their missions to tell the smaller stories that have impact. For example, a former Hungarian leader has been hosting Syrian refugees at his house for meals, and a small Muslim community in Hungary has been making efforts to help the refugees as well. Official reactions and actions towards refugees doesn't necessarily reflect personal reactions and actions towards refugees in that same country. It is important for the media the expose all of it.
The Washington Post had their journalists personally reflect on the issue. I would like to interview journalists on how they feel about this. Journalists are supposed to be objective, but they are human and the emotions must be overwhelming. I'd like to explore how journalists can detach themselves from a story like this, or if they think they should at all. I personally think journalism, and just story telling in general has the power to elicit change. I want to explore if the stories that are being told every day are having that impact. Are the people who are seeing these stories more likely to be open to allowing Syrian refugees into the U.S.? What impact is the media coverage having on public opinion?
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