British Red Cross launches ‘Get the Story Straight’ campaign on refugees

Get the Story Straight is aimed at encouraging the public and the press to challenge the popular myths, stereotypes and prejudices that surround the issue of asylum and what it means to be a refugee. The Brtish Red Cross (BRC) has launched this project because it thinks it is vital that people have the right information and facts on asylum and refugees to balance some of the alarmist and hyperbolic language used in the media.

They are planning to do this by using social media as a way to challenge some of this rhetoric and misinformation, people across the country can get involved and join in to bust those myths.

Over the next few months, the project will be fact-checking news stories about refugees and asylum seekers. Every year the BRC supports 10,000 people who’ve had to flee their countries and homes, after horrific experiences. The campaign organisers say “They deserve the facts – and so do the UK public. Together, let’s get the story straight.”

The BRC is asking for your support and engagement with the campaign. If you or your institution is interested they have set out the following ideas:

Send them any good or bad articles you find – your volunteers/researchers can read this guidance from the National Union of Journalists, if they’re not sure. https://www.nuj.org.uk/documents/reporting-asylum-and-refugee-issues/

Tweet stories at BRC with the hashtag #factsnotfear, like this person did.

·Look at the project’s blogs, when they give stories a sense-check.

If you are still unsure about the issue then contact them at getthestorystraight@redcross.org.uk.

The project will aslo be aim to speak to refugees and asylum seekers about how the headlines and stories affect them and make them feel, so if you know anyone that you think would be interested, please let lmccabe@redcross.org.uk know.

Charities and relevant organisations have a vital part to play in how refugees and asylum seekers are perceived and the project is asking them to engage with it on this issue. They want help in ensuring the press has the facts and figures it needs to produce fair and balanced reporting and to tell both sides of the story. Asylum and refugee issues are complicated areas of policy and debate – and the project wants to help journalists navigate through that and encourage the use of the right terminology, correct stats and to try to separate these from the on-going and heated immigration debate.

For further information email the campaign research at samuelemden@redcross.org.uk

British Red Cross launches ‘Get the Story Straight’ campaign on refugees.