Published: 2 October 2014
Country: UK
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) published an updated version of the guidelines for all its members to follow when dealing with race relations. As NUJ points out, writing discriminatory stories on marginalised groups such as black, Roma or any migrant community is a form of racism.
“Racist attitudes and the growth of far-right parties pose a threat to democracy, the rights of trade union organisations, a free media and racial equality. NUJ members have a responsibility to stop racism being expressed in the media”, states the organisation in its guidelines.
“Use the term “immigrant” with caution, it is still wrongly used to describe people born in Britain. Asylum seeker, refugee or EU migrant worker? Get the terminology right. Asylum seeker is a person who has left their home country as a political refugee and is seeking asylum in another country. A refugee is someone who was an asylum seeker but who has now been granted refugee status. An EU migrant worker is someone who has moved to the UK to work. Their stay in the UK may be temporary or longer term” – these are just some of the guidelines recommended for the journalists.
If you are interested, you can find the guidelines in our resources section.
