The research was carried out by Lunaria, the Associazione Carta di Roma, African Media Association Malta, Antigone, and Fundación Maldita.es in Spain, and the reports are available for download on the project’s website.
Conducted between May and August 2025, the study involved 68 professionals from journalism, civil society, academia, and the communication sector. Overall, the findings reveal systemic trends: the persistence of stereotypes, unequal access to media professions, and the near invisibility of migrant voices in public narratives, despite a growing awareness of the need for change.
Main findings
- Migrant voices remain largely invisible in European media ecosystems. In the four countries: Italy Malta, Greece, and Spain, interviewees described a notable absence of migrant voices in news coverage and media debates. Migrants are often treated as “objects of discourse rather than subjects with their own voice,” which limits their ability to participate in public life and shape narratives that directly affect them. Research participants repeatedly stressed that when migrants do appear in the media, it is usually briefly and in passive roles: as victims, statistics, or background figures.
- Stereotyped, crisis-driven narratives dominate media coverage. The research shows that migration is primarily portrayed through frames of emergency, security, criminality, and conflict. In Italy, alarmist language such as “emergency,” “crisis,” and “invasion” appeared 5,728 times in major newspapers between 2013 and 2024. In Greece, participants identified three recurring frames that label migrants as threats, burdens, or security risks. In Malta, despite migrants representing 21% of the population in 2024, coverage continues to be dominated by images of sea arrivals and crisis narratives. In Spain, despite having a highly diverse migrant population, media representations continue to reinforce hierarchies of empathy, portraying some groups as deserving of solidarity and others as suspicious or undesirable.
- There is awareness, but structural barriers limit migrants’ access to journalism. Although most of the organizations interviewed claim to uphold values of equality and respect, concrete mechanisms to prevent discrimination or guide inclusive reporting remain scarce, and the lack of migrant professionals in the sector is a reality. Reports from all four countries indicate that while access to journalism appears open in theory, in practice it remains restricted. Systemic barriers such as language or accreditation requirements, informal recruitment networks, or the limited recognition of foreign qualifications are widespread. This further reinforces the lack of diverse perspectives in media content.
Emerging good practices show that alternatives do exist
Despite these challenges, the research identifies promising initiatives in all four countries, such as migrant-led media platforms offering community journalism; collaborations between NGOs and media outlets that produce more balanced narratives; ethical editorial practices that challenge sensationalism; storytelling and media literacy projects that humanize migrant experiences; and various communication strategies driven by civil society organizations.
The MILD project – More Correct Information, Less Discrimination – is an initiative co-funded by the European Union and coordinated by Lunaria (Italy), in collaboration with African Media Association Malta, ANTIGONE (Greece), Carta di Roma (Italy), and Maldita.es (Spain).