Author(s)

Min Li

Corresponding Author

Min Li

Abstract

The issue of refugees is a hotly debated social topic at the moment, the way in which refugees are reported in the British media coverage has an impact on how they are perceived by the public. Even if the media cannot completely shape the public attitudes, the choice of the using words and the way they are reported can still stimulate public opinion. For example, when reporting on child refugees, it is difficult to find the words “illegal” or “risky behaviour”. The tendency of major media coverage to construct an image of refugees as mainly asylum seekers also makes it more difficult for refugees to be accepted, and this negative coverage can be seen as a reaction to an insecure sense of citizenship identity.

Keywords

Refugees, Asylum seekers, British media coverage, Media power