A quarter of the German population has a migration background. However, migrants are under-represented in newsrooms often, which also affects the reporting. A conversation about stereotypes and Obsession.
“Heart instead of hatred” called participants of a meeting in Cottbus at the beginning of this year
Sheila Mysorekar is President of the New German media makers – a club that can do as the national Alliance of media, with different cultural and linguistic competencies, and roots for more diversity in the media. You grew up in India and Germany and lives in Cologne.
Deutsche Welle: wife Mysorekar, as migrants are under-represented in German editorial offices?
Sheila Mysorekar: they are simply under-represented. People from immigrant families make up a quarter of the population in Germany. And in the editorial offices, a quarter of the employees are from immigrant families. Overall, only one out of every 50. A Journalist with a migrant background.
What is the reason?
This has several reasons: firstly, The editor-in-chief or instructor not often think that people talk with funny names or different skin colors properly English. You just take the time. Furthermore, most of the journalists come in Germany from the formation of middle-class families. In the training you have to do many unpaid internships and this is only possible, if the family or someone else’s with a supported. People from poor families can not – this is also true for German. But people from immigrant families generally come more from the working class, which is generally under-represented in the German media. And to get a Job, you need a network. This works better if the parents already have the appropriate contacts.
Sheila Mysorekar is President of the Association “New German media makers”
Therefore, people with a history of Migration will fall over often in the back?
Yes, we mostly have no parents, who are in the Golf club, with Directors playing Polo – and that is why it is much more difficult to establish contacts. But also for students from working-class families. Have it just as hard in German editorial offices.
What screws we need to work on, so which is better?
You need to speak with the training departments of the editors: they must ensure a reasonable representation, and for the issue to be sensitized. In the selection of volunteers and volunteers must be ensured – one pays attention also to the fact that women are. This is not only good for “foreigners” here. A wide range of perspectives, multilingualism and intercultural competence are for the whole editorial and also for the viewers, listeners or Users. If the editors are very busy unit, with men, Whites, the West German – then the reporting is very one-sided and certain experiences of the population are not perceived. With a diverse editorial Board, the reporting is better.
How is this Problem specifically in the reporting?
It is a question of the perspective: How migrants are represented of minorities in the media? They are usually presented as a Problem or as a risk. Rarely it comes to enrichment, or simply to normality. This is particularly sad, because most lead a normal life as taxpayers or parents of kindergarten children have to say on all topics. In fact they are but only when it comes to terrorism or Islam. This is absurd.
What is the error that many media still reporting about migrants?
A common mistake is to image selection, for example. You: woman, Islam, refugee – stereo standard always come at the end of images, be it a group of refugees heading towards the camera, or a woman with a head scarf and plastic shopping bags. That doesn’t help. A private archive with good pictures might help. On the other hand, the choice of words is important: we Talk of racism or xenophobia? If the Nazis keep black, or Muslim, German for foreigners, or Strangers, we don’t have to be that still for a long time. We talk of racism, because that is what it is! Furthermore, we should make sure in which people with migration are popping up history. It is always the case when it comes to Islam, security or terrorism? Or even spoken with you, when it comes to taxes or Parking? So to normality?
If Nazis are racist, that should not be named, says Mysorekar.
How has reporting in Germany?
It has been a real Peak in very negative reporting in the early 1990s. At that time it also went to asylum and the Right have driven a huge campaign against refugees. At the time, many refugee accommodation are, of course, been fired, and people even died. At that time it was reported about Migration only as a Problem. In the zero years, the situation had calmed down a bit, and since a couple of years, I see again a kind of Obsession with regard to the topic. For example, most of the people have in the past parliamentary elections, demonstrated stronger interest in other topics as refugees. But the housing crisis was barely discussed.
They observe large differences between different groups of migrants, such as Muslims or other Europeans is reported?
Of course. Since there is not a clear-cut hierarchy, aliens is equal to alien. An Englishman may, perhaps, be a quirky Brexit-trailer, but otherwise, he is not presented in a bad light. But about Muslims is actually reported only negative to other religions is hardly respected. There is a General suspicion toward Muslims – and the statistics are clear: The number of Muslims in Germany is strongly overestimated (According to the Federal office for Migration and refugees of up to 4.7 million Muslims lived at the end of 2015 in Germany, this corresponds to a share of 5.7 percent of the total population, Anm. d. Red.). Muslims are always a Problem and Roma.
International migrants day: If you could wish for one thing as a representative of the New German media makers, what would it be?
I wish this day would not have to commit. Instead, we could remind us who migrated from our parents or grandparents where here. On the other hand I, that you should take it as a fact that the people in your story always moved back and forth – and that we have no culture, if that would not have been so.
The Interview was conducted by Jennifer Wagner.