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Zurich, July 12th, 2010. TV news worldwide portrays foreigners as dangerous to the lives and jobs of people in Western countries. While the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development recommends a longterm immigration policy in order to cope with the challenges arising from demographic change in ageing societies in the Western World, this view is not supported by opinion-leading media. The latest analysis by Media Tenor International, the Zurich-based research institute, shows that migrants and minorities are portrayed primarily as a threat to domestic security and social cohesion in opinion-leading media worldwide. The study suggest that a lack of public support for more openness towards immigration will make change more difficult and painful.

“In the main TV news programs of seven Western countries and in South Africa as well, foreigners, religious andethnic minorities are portrayed in a strongly negative way,” explains Roland Schatz, founder and president of Media Tenor International. Negativity was highest in Swiss TV thanks to the referendum against the building of minarets. “This has spurred on the debate about an alleged dangerous inflow of culturally diverse foreigners,threatening Swiss culture” says Schatz. Migrant workers from neighboring Germany were covered negatively as well when the media highlighted the high number of professionals coming to Switzerland.

“Only MENA and Chinese TV news showed a different picture – but here real and potential conflicts are cut from the media agenda”, explains Dr. Christian Kolmer, Head of Social Studies at Media Tenor International. In line with the optimistic outlook on political and business protagonists in the state-controlled outlets, foreigners play a minor role, while Chinese TV extols the merits of official policy towards minorities, even in Tibet. “The problems of migrant workers in the Gulf countries hit most by the economic crisis did not make it into the news in the region”, says Dr. Kolmer.

The basic deficiencies of the news selection on migrants and minorities go deeper: while the downside of migration dominates the news shows, the upside and the potential benefits for migrants and their new host countries are barely addressed at all. “Germany´s opportunity to boost its domestic services sector with the help of competent new citizens coming from Eastern Europe is barely shown at all, as foreigners are mostly shown as criminals and subjects of immigration policy and not as successful entrepreneurs, competent artisans or adaptable citizens”, concludes Dr. Kolmer.

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