UNESCO launches French version of its handbook on reporting on migrants and refugees

The French translation of the “UNESCO Handbook for Journalism Educators: Reporting on Migrants and Refugees” has been released in Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia.

The ongoing and global challenge of people on the move calls for deep expertise in news coverage, and journalism schools are key to how reporters can avoid pitfalls and do full justice to this complex subject.

It is the second translation of the English original, following the release of the Arabic edition two weeks ago.

For the launch on 18 November 2022, the co-editors Susanne Fengler and Monika Lengauer from the TU Dortmund University in Germany, highlighted the work’s significance for French-speakers.

They explained that the publication was a “first, genuine and unabridged translation that aims to support the best levels of professional and ethical reporting on migrants and refugees.”

They added: “Appropriately, the French edition of the handbook is now presented on the African continent, where over 60 percent of the global French-speaking population reside with countries of origin, transit, destination and asylum. It is noteworthy that the African continent also features prominently as one of the world regions that the handbook brings into focus.”

The initiatives have been supported by a video message from the UNHCR, Filippo Grandi, who expressed his support for the handbook In his address, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said, referring to the handbook: “As it covers the perspectives from origin, transit and asylum countries, it equips future journalists with the skills to explain complex realities leading to human suffering and allowing for solutions to their plight.”

UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) has been active in supporting the development of the handbook and its translations as part of its “global initiative for excellence in journalism education”.

The publication is based on six years of extensive scientific work by the Dortmund research team and its editors Fengler, Lengauer and Anna-Carina Zappe, as well as numerous international conferences and workshops. The contributing scholars and journalists are from countries of origin, transit and reach for migrants and refugees.

Over 30 international guest authors, including African researchers, have contributed to the project. The original English version of the handbook was peer-reviewed by a group of international scholars. Michel Leroy translated the original English into French.

The French edition of the handbook is co-published by UNESCO and the Erich Brost Institute for International Journalism at TU Dortmund University in Germany.

In addition to the English, Arabic and new French translations, Spanish and Kiswahili versions will be available soon.

The handbook is available free online on the UNESCO International Programme for the Development of Communication resource hub: https://bit.ly/3U3PR5g