In an increasingly polarised media and political environment, migration has come to dominate public debate, often with knock-on consequences. A roundtable on Fact-based communication on migration, bringing together leading academics, communication experts, journalists, and institutional representatives to address the growing challenges of communicating effectively and responsibly about migration has been held by the Council of Europe in Strasbourg to discuss this situation.
The event provided a space for open exchange of ideas and practices. Participants discussed how to promote balanced, evidence-based, and human-rights-compliant communication on migration, while countering the negative stereotyping and disinformation which lead to hate speech.
Migration information vacuum
In his opening remarks, Nikolaos Sitaropoulos, Head of the Council of Europe's Division on migration and refugees, noted that "disinformation or misinformation about migration exploits an information vacuum in our societies which needs to be filled by reliable, fact-based information which is easily accessible and understandable by all stakeholders including the general public". He added that the organisation "aims to assist member states in exploring and addressing these gaps in migration communication, thus enhancing tolerance and inclusiveness in line with the Council of Europe standards".
The roundtable featured three thematic sessions. The first explored the importance of using credible data and reliable sources to strengthen public trust and counter misinformation. The second focused on communication challenges in mainstream and social networks. The final session examined how to reconcile freedom of expression with the need to prevent and combat hate speech and hate crime in the context of migration-related discourse.
Council of Europe: setting standards
Discussions drew on Council of Europe standards and recent resources, including the Migration key facts sheet and the Frequently asked questions on ECHR and migration, which provide clear, verifiable information to support informed public dialogue. Participants emphasised that fact-based communication on migration needs to be complemented by narratives appealing to shared values, empathy, and inclusivity.
A report summarising the discussions and reflections about promoting fact-based communication on migration is forthcoming.
Fact-based communication on migration - agenda
The Council of Europe, migration and refugees
This initiative is a contribution towards the New Democratic Pact for Europe
