Race, racism and xenophobia in the media round table

Posted: 4 May 2007 | News - Newsletter | Categories: Race, Xenophobia and Ethnicity

Re: Invitation to a round table discussion on the representation of race, racism, and xenophobia in the media hosted by the Media Monitoring Project.

Dear Colleagues,

The Media Monitoring Project (MMP) conducted research on the representation of race, racism and xenophobia in selected South African media in 2006. This was part of the organisation’s Revealing Race Project, funded by the Charles Stuart Mott Foundation. It is available online.

What was found?
The findings, when compared to studies conducted in 2000 and 2001, show that while there have been some significant shifts in reporting trends, there are still many key issues that need to be addressed. Stories dealing with race, racism and xenophobia often tend to be simplistically reported and in some cases perpetuate stereotypes.

The MMP is hosting this round table discussion to deliberate on practical mechanisms that can be put in place to encourage best practice reporting, minimise perpetuation of negative stereotypes and encourage respect for people’s rights to dignity and equality. The discussions are aimed at media practitioners, non-governmental organisations and government.

At the end of the discussion, the MMP, together with it key partners will develop a resource tool that will serve as a guide for all these sectors in producing public messages on the above-mentioned issues.

Key partners already committed are:

  * South African Human Rights Commission
  * Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation
  * United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
  * Roll Back Xenophobia Campaign
  * National Forum Against Racism – Department of Justice and Constitutional Development


MMP therefore takes great pleasure in inviting you to participate in these discussions, the first of which will be held at:
Venue: South African Human Rights Commission offices, 29 Princess of Whales Terrace, Cnr York and St Andrews Road in Parktown.
Date: 18 April 2007
Time: 14H00

The Revealing Race Report Summary

In preparation for the meeting, please read the summary of the Revealing Race research findings, to understand how race is covered in the media currently.