Oxfam recently launched their ‘Fair Play’ publication to aid fair and accurate media reporting of asylum and refugee issues. Newspapers have often used the image of the ‘threatening young male’ accompanied with stories of asylum seekers ’swamping’ and ‘flooding’ Britain.
The UK, at it’s peak, had applications from 100,000 seeking refugee status. Syria, a relatively poor country with a population of under 10 million, is currently hosting 2 million Iraqi’s. The UK stands 8th in Europe for the numbers of asylum seekers relative to population.
The reality is at least 60% of asylum seekers in Britain are educated to degree level or higher. Their qualifications are not recognised in the UK, denying the country access to a pool of professionals who want to work on these shores.
With a poll showing that 98% of Scots get their information on these issues from the media, it’s time journalists started using context and ditched the daily mail rhetoric.
