Document details

Fear and Lying in the EU: Fighting Disinformation on Migration with Alternative Narratives

Brussels: European Policy Centre (2020), 51 pp.
"This Issue Paper examines nearly 1,500 news articles from four EU member states (Germany, Italy, Spain and the Czech Republic) published between May 2019 and July 2020. It shows that disinformation narratives about migration seek to exploit readers’ fears to polarise public opinion, manufacture discontent, sow divisions and set the political agenda. Disinformation actors link migration to existing insecurities, depicting it as a threat to three partly-overlapping areas: Health (migrants as violent criminals, potential terrorists, or a COVID-19 infection risk); Wealth (migrants as social benefits cheats, unfair competition for jobs, or a drain on community resources); Identity (migrants as a hostile invasion force, a threat to European or Christian traditions, or the subject of a conspiracy to replace white Europeans). An effective communication strategy based on alternative narratives should take account of the following recommendations: The message should aim to reframe the debate. It should resonate with the target audience’s lived experience, acknowledging their values and concerns, but avoid amplifying anxieties [...] The medium should aim to restore trust among groups. Institutions, which are often subject to discrediting campaigns, should prioritise communication through trusted intermediaries who can get messages to the hard-to-reach [...] The selection of the audience should aim to reclaim readers from the fringes. Audiences should be targeted based on their values and what they feel is important." (Executive summary)
I. PATTERNS OF DISINFORMATION FRAMES AND NARRATIVES, 13
Prominent disinformation narratives, 15
Migration as a threat to health -- Migration as a threat to wealth -- Migration as a threat to identity
Migration in the headlines, 21
Frames and migration salience, 22
Sources of disinformation, 25
Anti-establishment sentiment and distrust, 26
II. COUNTERING DISINFORMATION WITH ALTERNATIVE NARRATIVES, 28
The message, 30
Craft messages which resonate with lived experience -- Use messages which reflect news cycles and salience -- Repeat simple and specific messages
The medium, 34
Use trusted messengers as amplifiers -- Coordinate activities and communication strategies -- Identify the most appropriate communication channel
The audience, 37
Target values, not demographics -- Find entry points and common ground -- Promote a coherent metanarrative
Conclusion, 43