Promoting a diverse, inclusive and accurate media
With sister organisations in London, Brussels, Belgrade, Yerevan and Gloucester (US), the Media Diversity Institute (MDI) works internationally to promote accurate and nuanced reporting on issues of race, religion, ethnicity, class, disability, gender and sexual identity in media landscapes around the world.
While our work is grounded in the principles of freedom of expression and the values of diversity and inclusion, our day-to-day focus is on cultivating practical skills to combat negative stereotypes and disinformation, and to improve media and information literacy.
The role of social media in fueling the UK riots: A dangerous game of viral violence and media impact
- The recent UK riots, sparked by a tragic event in Southport and compounded by misinformation that misidentified the suspect as a Muslim asylum seeker, have underscored the significant role of media in influencing public perceptions and exacerbating tensions. Partners of our project, Get The Trolls Out! have monitored local media, and these are the key findings:
- French outlets have portrayed the riots as a response to unchecked migration, Polish media depicted them as necessary resistance, and German publications often downplay the racial motives, merely labelling the events as “protests.”
- In the UK, media coverage has increased the violence and discrimination against the Muslim community.
For more detailed insights and to understand the broader implications of these events, GTTO’s articles :