ABSTRACT
This chapter, by an editor for the special project “The New Arrivals” for the leading German weekly newsmagazine Der Spiegel, explains how, in order to keep the discourse about migration in Europe alive, she and her fellow journalists did their best to avoid one-dimensional characterizations of refugees. There is one simplification in particular that created much controversy and debate among German journalists: Under which circumstances, if ever, is it appropriate to publish the nationality of a criminal offender in an article? Does the suggested causality between crime (especially sexual offenses) and nationality simply always replicate racist stereotypes? What are the consequences of mentioning nationality – and of not doing so – given the declining trust that the public has in the media? The German Press Council softened its strict guidelines after the mass assaults in Cologne and other events, and now suggests that it is ethical to publish the nationality “if a reasonable public interest exists.” It is only one facet, but part of the larger question of how a refugee is portrayed in the media, which plays an important role for the process of integration and, given the mass arrivals since 2015, may even influence politics.
