Public Relations and Management Issue (Syrian Refugees)

Public Relations and Management Issue (Syrian Refugees)

The portrayal of Syrian refugees by the media has been negative. Mostly, it neglects geopolitical ramifications of war to focus on process and strategy that UNHCR can use to resettle refugees. Reporters focus on decisions rather than becoming part of the solution. However, a few Western journalists have an in-depth knowledge of the Middle East, given the sharp difference in religion and culture. Therefore, it is harder for the media to play out long-term geopolitical implications in an appropriate manner that will eventually aid UNHCR’s effort to resettle refugees (Crisp, 2014). Syrian refugees in the neighboring countries are vulnerable to being labeled as terrorists or opportunist economic migrants from Middle Eastern countries such as Afghanistan, Lebanon, and Iraq (Barnes, 2013).

Refugees and asylum seekers are devaluated routinely, trivialized, and conflated by the current public discourses. United Nations define refugees as individuals that are outside the state of his nationality because of fear of persecutions on grounds of nationality, race, political opinion, or social group membership, thus not able to avail adequate protection to himself or his family. On the other hand, an asylum seeker is a person whose application for a refugee status in a given country is yet to be granted.

Literary Review

Media and public relations outlets consider Syrian refugees and asylum seekers as newsworthy. Resultantly, there is a growing media attention on the activities of UNHCR in Syria and neighboring states especially in its effort to provide food and shelter to ever increasing the population of refugees. In addition, academic research on media representation is gaining prominence (Slaughter et al., 2012). As war and tension in Syria escalate, the media is taking a central role to cover the plight of Syrian refugees as they journey across the Mediterranean Sea into Europe, and other parts of Asia.

 UNHCR is improving on its delivery of the news regarding conditions of refugees and their requirements in hard-hit areas. The organization uses its website for public relations and to update donors and well wishers on the situation in refugee camps spread across Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Lebanon. However, on other parts of the globe such as the United Kingdom and Germany, hostility of the media is evident. Reputed media outlets in the United Kingdom have openly expressed their opposition n resettlement of refugees in the country given the terrorism risks and massive influx that threatens to collapse its economy. Germany’s media, on the other hand, is strongly opposed to Angela Merkel’s effort to work with UNHCR in resettling and assimilating asylum seekers, migrants, and refugees in the country. A new wave of hostilities in these countries emanates from fear of Western values as Arab population saturate religion and culture (Devereux, 2014). The media's view of refugees changed almost immediately after French attacks. Some of the attackers were refugees earlier registered in Greece, thus resulting in an assumption that all the asylum seekers and migrants are radicalized invaders (Kirisci, 2014). A generalization such as this dehumanizes genuine refugees due to the negative stereotype and hints a danger of sharp divisions between the West and the Middle East. 

The need for investigation of public relations and media on their representation of UNHCR’s  role and the conditions of refugees in Syria is a delicate issue because of public opinion and political influence (Loescher, 2011). Experts argue that the media representation of Syrian refugees is a hegemonic tool deployed by political and cultural leaderships to woo the public. In fact, the media reproduces dominant and existing power relations between Europe, the United States, and Russia and Middle Eastern powers.

Furthermore, there is a bilateral influence between media and politics especially on matters relation to the refugee crisis and asylum seeking (Najjar, 2011). A consideration of coverage on humanitarian crisis faced by UNHCR reveals that there are three ways to understand politics-media influence: media influence on political actions, politics influencing media action and coverage, and interactive and mutual process. According to interactive model, media representation of UNHCR and refugees is deviant and contributes to invocation and validation of mostly repressive responses of state (Refaat et al., 2013).

Negative claims and stereotypes forwarded by western media regarding the migrant crisis and UNHCR's incompetence in handling mass movement of refugees into Europe are based on the practice and policies of Asylum seeking in most western countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. It is also arguable that the media, in its public relations efforts, plays a central role in rallying public objection to UNHCR's asylum and immigration policies. In light of this, media representation UNHCR and refugees are responsible for escalating hostility and dehumanization. Online news platforms offer suggestions on how the readers should talk or think about besides setting agenda for public discussion. 

However, it is worth noting that readers and TV viewers do not absorb relayed messages passively, they are active in constructing meanings to influence editorial choices and what to be relayed by the media. An analysis of media and public relations with regards to Syrian refugees and UNHCR is important and relevant because media serves as a link between humanitarian organizations and distinct social situations developed by public responses and interpretations.

In the UK, the issue on Syrian Refugees is topical, new and important. Its coverage on the local media is a testament of growing fears and concerns by the citizens. There are several traits likable to media coverage and public relations on Syrian refugees. First the event is of great dimension. Secondly, there is a direct connection between Western interests, UNHCR mandate, and the potentiality of production of dramatic imagery. UNHCR defines Syrian refugee crisis as one of the worst since the Rwandan genocide. Dramatic images of women and children victims and hungry refugees characterize Syrian migrant and refugee crisis (Sami et al., 2014). The US and the UK are yet to implement an executive action to host the refugees, even though the western involvement is conspicuous, especially in terms of actual humanitarian aid contribution via UNHCR and military intervention. Discussion around Syrian refugees and UNHCR responsibility have gained prominence since 2014, with a conflicting representation of Middle Eastern refugees as people that need support and aid, and a need to control threat by limiting the numbers of new arrivals to the Western world. 

Findings

Even though prominence of positive representation of UNHCR role and Syrian refugees exists over negativity, it should be highlighted that unfavorable representation is still persistent across Europe. It is common for the media to associate Syrian refugees with the spread of deadly diseases (Burki, 2013). Other articles associate terrorism with Syrian refugees, given that the country is a common battleground for extremist groups. Finally, the western media represents refugees as a threat to national integrity, economic stability, and security. Stereotyping and use of terms such as them and us are common for most news outlets to show a sharp contrast between how European citizens view themselves with regard to the refugees. Media groups unanimously link Syrian refugees to elements that are unfamiliar extreme, and abominable in the West, thus demonstrating strong opposition to UNHCR’s efforts and movement of refugees into Europe. It also builds a discourse that makes it hard to provide their needs (Wright, 2012).

Theme 1: Innocence and Vulnerability

A theme of centrality is recurrent throughout the media outlets. From the analysis of internet articles on media's views on UNHCR's role in the resettlement of Syrian refugees, it becomes evidently clear that Syrian children, women and the elderly are victims of the persistent conflict (Williams, 2013). However, empathy is shown on children as innocent victims that need immediate help and should be prioritized by UNHCR.  Dominant media outlets explicitly express the dangers faced by children by using emotional images of refugees to encourage donations to UNHCR for humanitarian cause (El-Khatib et al., 2013).

Theme 2: Generosity and Moral Responsibility

            Any support accorded to Syrian refugees was constructed on morality grounds. Terms such as decency, responsibility and, moral obligation are common throughout the analyzed news articles. The abundance of these terms implies that the Western states exposed to refugee crisis are subjects, rather than the Syrian refugees (Williams, 2013). In fact, most newspaper editors in the United Kingdom consistently refer to European generosity as one of the country's values to remind the readers of the importance of contributions to UNHCR and other organizations that provide humanitarian aid.

References

Barnes, A. E. (2009). Realizing Protection Space for Iraqi Refugees: UNHCR In Syria, Jordan And Lebanon. UNHCR, Policy Development and Evaluation Service.

Burki, T. (2013). Infectious Diseases in Malian And Syrian Conflicts. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 13(4), 296-297.

Crisp, J. (2014). Who has counted the refugees? UNHCR and the Politics of Numbers. New Issues in Refugee Research, Working Paper, (12).

Devereux, E., & Breen, M. (2014). No Racists Here: Public Opinion, Immigrants and the Media. Political Issues in Ireland Today, 168.

El-Khatib, Z., Scales, D., Vearey, J., & Forsberg, B. C. (2013). Syrian Refugees, Between Rocky Crisis in Syria and Hard Inaccessibility to Healthcare Services in Lebanon And Jordan. Conflict and Health, 7(1), 1.

Kirişçi, K. (2014). Syrian Refugees and Turkey’s Challenges: Going Beyond Hospitality. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution.

Loescher, G. (2011). The UNHCR and World Politics: State Interests vs. Institutional Autonomy. International Migration Review, 33-56.

Najjar, O. A. (2012). The Pathology of Media Intervention in Iraq 20032008: The US Attempt to Restructure Iraqi Media Law and Content. International Journal of Contemporary Iraqi Studies, 3(1), 27-52.

Refaat, M. M., & Mohanna, K. (2013). Syrian Refugees in Lebanon: Facts and Solutions. The Lancet, 382(9894), 763-764.

Slaughter, A., & Crisp, J. (2012). A Surrogate State? The Role of UNHCR in Protracted Refugee Situations. Research Paper, (168).

Williams, N. (2013). The theme day of the Committee on the Rights of the Child on``Children and the Media''. The International Journal of Children s Rights, 5(2), 263-266.

Wright, T. (2012). Moving Images: The Media Representation of Refugees. Visual Studies, 17(1), 53-66.