Gathering Evidence Effectively

There has been a greater interest in asylum issues in the media, particurlarly the national newspapers. Although there is some reporting which is sympathetic to the plight of asylum seekers and refugees and recognises the contributions they can make, many stories highlight the presence of what are commonly termed ‘bogus asylum seekers’ who, it is argued, claim asylum even though they have not suffered persecution, in order to seek ‘a better life’.

The language of sections of the press can be mainly or frequently unbalanced, negative and in some respects potentially alarming.The press have the right to raise issues of interest to their readers  but it is important to balance this against the need to respect human rights and the safety and cohesion of communities.

The Information Centre about Asylum and Refugees in the UK (ICAR) yesterday(09/12/09) published a document which is a rough guide to assist those seeking knowledge about UK asylum seekers and refugees to navigate secondary sources of data and information.

Many postgraduate students have chosen to focus their research on analysis of media coverage of asylum issues. Most local and national newspapers have their own websites. Some only have their
articles of the day online, others have free or pay-to-access online archives. A Google search will reveal most newspapers’ website details. A number of newspapers and broadcasters, such as the BBC and the Guardian, have dedicated sections on asylum and immigration issues.

A number of organisations and projects dedicated to interrogating the nature of media
representation of asylum issues (including HAT News – see page 35 of the guide)have also been established and these are a useful source for research reports and secondary analysis and commentary.

The guide, Gathering Evidence Effectively has been organised by type of information provider. The sections are as follows:
1. Government and statutory sector
2. Academia
3. Legal bodies
4. Voluntary sector
5. Inter-governmental organisations
6. Media
7. Think tanks
8. Professional bodies
9. Private research companies
10. Portals and information hubs
11. Archives of raw data for secondary analysis
12. Listservs

To read click Gathering Evidence Effectively
For more information visit the ICAR website.

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