Media Hypocrisy in Conflict Reporting: Racial Bias and Double Standards for Migrants

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there was unprecedented media attention surrounding the conflict. A discernible concerning trend emerged in the number of racist undertones and double standards in the portrayal of refugees.

There has long been a prevailing tendency among individuals to adopt an “us vs. them” mindset. Individuals identify themselves as members of a particular group, viewing those outside the group as direct adversaries. In the context of race, historical colonial hierarchies have consistently fostered a separation of humans into superior and inferior categories. The collective generation of cultural prejudice enforced by media and political discourses has framed refugees as the Western “enemy.”

Crowds of refugees from Mariupol, Ukraine, make their way out of the Lviv train station on March 24. (Ty O’Neil/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

One distinct incident was an on-air recording of CBS News correspondent Charlie D’Agata saying that the war in Ukraine couldn’t be compared to conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan because the Eastern European nation is more “civilized.” D’Agata remarked that Ukraine, “isn’t a place, with all due respect, like Iraq or Afghanistan, that has seen conflict raging for decades… This is a relatively civilized, relatively European – I have to choose those words carefully, too– city, where you wouldn’t expect that or hope that it's going to happen.'' Not only did these racist comments rationalize conflict and the plight of people in other Eastern European nations, labelling them as “uncivilized,” but his language also dehumanized the suffering of non-white, non-European individuals.

A similar narrative prevailed in an opinion article by British reporter Daniel Hannan, in which he wrote, “they seem so like us. That is what makes it so shocking. War is no longer something visited upon impoverished and remote populations. It can happen to anyone.” This solidifies an “us” versus “them” narrative, suggesting that impoverished communities are somehow more deserving of war and conflict than the Western world. Hannan’s statement evicts a similar idea as D’Agata’s remarks about certain populations being less deserving of conflict than others.

The creation of the “other” is fostered to produce double standards amongst migrants in media coverage. According to extensive literature, the dominant frame used in the coverage of the 2015 Syrian crisis reveals a framework centred on security, portraying refugees as threats to national security. A content analysis of news coverage across eight European countries unveiled common negative perceptions and the xenophobic rhetoric against Middle Eastern migrants in Europe, suggesting Syrian refugees were seen as “terrorists.” However, media discourse across Europe shifted towards a more inclusive and supportive one following the invasion of Ukraine, presenting Ukrainian refugees as assets to the state, rather than threats.

While it’s commendable that Western media has brought attention to the Ukrainian refugee crisis, troubling hypocrisy emerges when the media employs chauvinistic concepts when referring to non-European displaced people. This dichotomy is marked by dehumanizing comparisons that present Ukrainians as similar to Europeans in behaviour, culture, and democratic values and are, therefore, more worthy of refugee status. Unfortunately, this narrative is built on the discriminatory comparison of refugees from other regions, particularly the Middle East.

These examples highlight offensive comparisons made at the beginning of the crisis, plainly showing the biases and stereotypes perpetuated through the media. Such media accounts have naturalized wars as an endemic to Middle Eastern and African regions, portraying these as uncivilized lands, occupied by beings the West cannot conceptualize or relate to. War, regardless of where it occurs, brings death and destruction and its victims, deemed civilized or not by a Western agenda, fight to protect their lives and dignity.

The intent is not to belittle the plight of Ukrainians but to emphasize that their deserving support stems from being victims of war, not fitting a certain degree of “civilization.” It is a call for a more compassionate approach that transcends racially-biased narratives and recognizes the shared humanity in all victims of conflict.

Ainsley (she/her) is a third-year Political Studies student and an Editorial Board member at Political Digest.