A growing climate of hostility being fuelled by the media?

"How responsible are the media for the growing climate of hostility towards immigrants and refugees in Italy?" This is the question asked and answered by the association Carta di Roma in its report 'Notizie di chiusura' (News about closure), which was written in collaboration with the Pavia Observatory. The results of this study, which is the sixth one on media and immigration, are based on Carta di Roma's monitoring of the influence of newspapers and TV on racism in Italy over the last few years.

The report analyses the role of print media, the seven national TV channels and the Facebook pages of the main newspapers.

Media has failed to call out politicians on the facts

In recent years, the issue of immigration has been one of the central topics in the electoral campaigns and political programmes of certain Italian political parties. The issue has become a main theme in the speeches of politicians, who are now used to giving interviews without being challenged or contradicted. The result of this is that public debate on the issue is stifled. Media outlets often use the word "invasion", which reinforces support for actions such as the closure of Italian ports to rescue vessels. However, taking about an invasion is not in line with what is happening on the ground. According to immigration data, since the beginning of the year, arrivals to Italy have actually decreased by 80% compared to last year.

TV focusing on immigration more than print media

While in recent months immigration has taken up less space on the front pages of newspapers than during last year, it has become a recurring theme on prime time news. The report found that TV has been focusing on immigration more than print media has.

The issues most frequently connected to immigration are security, criminality and terrorism. In addition, using words such as "invasion", "alarm" and "emergency", as well stressing how difficult it is for European countries to find shared solutions, contribute to an even more heated debate.

Journalists need to start challenging immigration rhetoric

The role of journalists should be to verify and challenge the slogans of politicians, and not to support them no matter what. In order to gain a more realistic picture of the migration situation in Italy, the media needs to become more independent and provide the public with neutral, non-biased information.