Andy DaveyThe media has long been labelled “The Fourth Estate” or ‘fourth power’ (1) because of its ability to act as a watchdog over political and other systems, its force as an explicit advocate and its ability to implicitly frame situations. Due to this level of power and sway, the media portrayal of Modern Slavery can carry so much weight too, potentially influencing victims and survivors themselves, the wider general public and all the way up to national leadership and policy. These abilities should come with the responsibility to maintain truth and hold these political and other systems accountable, but there is concern that media portrayal of modern slavery still has room for improvement.
Recognition of Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking (MSHT) seems to be on the rise, which appears partly due to the increase in reporting. A recent article entitled ‘Introducing The Slave Next Door’ (2) found that increased local reporting on modern slavery led to a rise in public awareness and local recognition of MSHT. However, there were concerns about negative consequences when the media inaccurately portrays MSHT, which can often go under the radar. The same study found that “inaccurate stereotypes of modern slavery remain entrenched” (3). These inaccurate stereotypes can be dangerous as they significantly impact public opinion, which can lead to public confusion and/or inaction when it comes to matters of MSHT.
One key issue raised by this study was that only a small percentage of stories featured survivor voices. Whilst survivor stories need to be heard and shared ethically, and it is recognised that no single survivor voice speaks for all, a chronic lack of survivor voices can lead to an inaccurate view of MSHT. Personal accounts can also help readers empathise with survivors and their journeys, making a challenging and sometimes distant topic feel very human. Another issue that the study found is that local media tended to disproportionately focus on sexual exploitation cases and cases of forced labour. This could be harmful as it reinforces stereotypes of the more visual forms of MSHT and leaves out the lesser-known forms of MSHT, such as debt bondage, bonded labour and domestic servitude.
This lack of connection to the victim coupled with the ongoing pushing of certain stereotypes of MSHT may be a contributing factor in why the vast majority of people (72% in Sharapov’s report 9 (4) and 79% in Dando et al. (5)) report the belief that trafficking does not directly affect them. Sharapov believes that this shows that ‘human trafficking remains separated from the immediate economic, social or ethical Universe of the “normal” person’s life’.
So how does the media put this right and help to turn the tide on the portrayal of Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking?
Here are three recommendations for local newspaper editors and reporters (extracted from the Nottingham University Rights Lab report on ‘Modern slavery in Local Media’ (3)):
- “Move beyond basic ‘beat’ reporting and critically engage with the issue of modern slavery to identify and dispel common myths and entrenched stereotypes.”
- “Make efforts to centre survivors’ voices in human interest stories on modern slavery whenever possible, including more detailed stories of recruitment and survivor empowerment post-exploitation.”
- “Investigate wider causes of slavery and exploitation, such as a neglect of basic labour rights, and highlight responsible local employers. In addition to highlighting the public’s role in ‘spotting the signs’, increase the emphasis on self-reporting.”
Media is a powerful tool to address issues of social justice and health such as MSHT. If you are a media professional and would like to know more about this topic and the work of VITA Network please get in touch!
Sources:
1. Historically, the other 3 ‘estates of the realm’ or powers were the clergy, the nobility and the commoners.
2. J Birks and A Gardner, ‘Introducing the Slave Next Door’, Anti-Trafficking Review, issue 13, 2019, pp. 66-81, https://doi.org/10.14197/atr.201219135
3. Birks J, Gardner A (2020) Rights Lab Research Briefing 7: March 2020. Modern Slavery in the Local Media. University of Nottingham Rights Lab. Available online at: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/research/beacons-of-excellence/rights-lab/resources/reports-and-briefings/2020/march/briefing-modern-slavery-in-local-media.pdf
4. Policy Studies, Central European University, 2015, p. 10, Available online at: https://cps.ceu.edu/sites/cps.ceu.edu/files/cps-policy-brief-upkat-human-trafficking-and-online-networks-2014.pdf
5. J Dando, D Walsh and R Brierley, ‘Perceptions of Psychological Coercion and Human Trafficking in the West Midlands of England: Beginning to know the unknown’, PLOS ONE, vol. 11, no. 5, 2016, pp.1–13, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0153263