The social construction of ‘boat people’ who arrive in Australia is affected by a tripartite process involving the press, government policy and the Australian population. The media represents the refugee experience through manipulated facts to engender certain responses from its audience. Headlines such as Unstoppable flow of asylum seekers and Navy on high alert as armada threatens use words such as “swelled”, “unlawfully” and “fake” to incite a negative association with refugees. Piers Akerman, reporter of Powerless to stop an invasion of boat people uses “them” and “we” to create a metaphysical distance between refugees and the Australian population.
My purpose is to expose the reality and complexity of the three stages of the refugee experience;
My purpose is to expose the reality and complexity of the three stages of the refugee experience;