ABSTRACT
In fall 2015, when this chapter's author went to the Greek island of Lesbos to report on Europe's refugee crisis as an independent foreign correspondent filing to US media, the situation was so extreme it seemed that all she had to do was hold out her microphone and she had a story. Several thousands of Syrian, Afghani, Iraqi, and other refugees were risking their lives every day by taking smugglers’ boats onto the island from Turkey, and news media around the world were keenly interested. This chapter details what reporting was like then, and how in 2016–2017 much changed: Borders closed, anti-immigrant sentiment surged, and refugees got stuck in Greece and elsewhere. For the US media, already weak on foreign news and growing more and more Trump-obsessed, covering the distant crisis dropped in priority. Over time, the tone changed, both from and about refugees – from empathy, hope, and determination to apathy, disillusionment, and despair. Throughout, the author tried to close the empathy gap and combat story fatigue by focusing her reporting on universal elements, such as the search for a place to call home, that faraway American audiences could relate to.
