Victims and Villains: Migrant Voices in the British Media

Increasing migration and its implications for the UK’s economic prosperity and social structures are a significant concern for the British public. The factors underlying public anxieties regarding migration are complex but can be seen in the dominance of migration issues on the agendas of most of the political parties and the rise in support for the populist United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) over recent years. Negative stories on migration are reflected in, and reinforced by the British print media, in particular the tabloid press, often painting a picture of Britain as a country which is ‘full up’ and unable to cope with the changes that migration brings.Over recent years, concern about levels of anti-immigrant sentiment in Britain and the role of the media in driving negative coverage of this controversial topic have fuelled efforts by a number of civil society organisations to creates paces for alternative perspectives which can inform the public debate. This has included, in particular, efforts to support migrants to have their voices heard through media training, capacity and network building activities,as well as creating opportunities for engagement with journalists working on, or interested in, migration issues.The report explores how migrant voices and experiences are framed in Britain’s migration debate, against the backdrop of a complex relationship between the media,political debate and public attitudes. Were the voices and experiences of migrants present in media reporting on migration issues in the months leading up to the 2015 General Election? And if migrants were able to have a voice, how were their experiences and perspectives represented and framed?