Media reports on refugees and asylum-seekers present them as "people whose primary motivation is to freeload", according to a report on social exclusion and the media to be published today.
The study reports that "the overwhelming proportion" of the media coverage of asylum-seekers "focuses on income maintenance and accommodation, thus directly or indirectly presenting a view of refugees as people whose primary motivation is to freeload from Ireland's recent prosperity".
The report, Perception Is Power: Social Exclusion And The Media, was prepared on behalf of 88 social projects which target "marginalised" groups and are supported by the EU's Integra project.
The report's authors tracked media coverage of social exclusion over an eight-week period and consulted journalists and people affected by news stories. Writing in the report, Mr Tom Ronayne, of the Integra National Support Structure, said that projects tackling social exclusion had become reluctant to use the media. Not only did they find it difficult to attract media coverage, they also found the coverage they did secure "did not necessarily convey the messages that project promoters and participants sought to put across".
Representatives of residents' groups opposing Government plans to house asylum-seekers in their areas met in Portlaoise last night.
The possibility of establishing a national body representing residents' groups was discussed as were opportunities for pooling resources.
