Media Coverage of Immigration Symposia

During the past 20 years, the United States and Europe have been experiencing a significant surge in immigration with major implications for their societies. While the economic crisis has altered this trend, immigration remains a question that is widely and often hotly debated, and the media play a major role in informing both the public and the debate.

As part of its Media Coverage of Immigration program, the French-American Foundation organized two symposia to examine the media’s coverage of immigration and to determine ways to improve its quality and depth. First in Paris in 2009, then in Miami in 2010, the MCI program gathered prominent journalists, scholars and advocacy groups in order to discuss ways to improve the media’s coverage of immigration.

Immigration is a complex topic that demands in-depth analysis rather than episodic and superficial journalistic treatment, and participants to the MCI program stressed the importance of avoiding stereotypes in their work. They also discussed the many challenges they face, such as gaining access to sources and developing relationships with immigrant communities. They acknowledged that a better understanding of both religion and economic forces could tremendously improve the quality of their work. Promoting better collaboration between ethnic and mainstream media and increasing diversity in newsrooms were other major topics of discussion.

To find out more about the program's conclusions, read the report here:

The MCI conferences were made possible thanks to the generous support of the Ford Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Open Society Institute and Unbound Philanthropy.