In English
Quick Response is an editorial staff that investigates how the Swedish newsmedia report on immigration, integration and xenophobia. On this website we publish our own articles about the media's coverage of these issues.
Quick Response was set up by an initiative from the national co-ordination committee of the European year against racism in order to review and react to media reports on questions concerning immigration.
Our work is mainly aimed towards journalists, in order to boost discussion among them.
For more information contact:
Arash Mokhtari
arash.mokhtari@quickresponse.se
+46 (0) 70- 053 74 90
Quick Response one of Europes top 30 best initiatives
Quick Response has been chosen as one of Europe's top 30 best initiatives for elimination of discrimination and encouragement for diversity in media.
Since May 2008, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Internews Europe, and the Media Diversity Institute have worked on a detailed Study on Media and Diversity, with the support of the PROGRESS programme of the European Commission. In the process, they have identified initiatives involving media that counter discrimination and promote diversity in 30 European countries.
"Europe is a glorious mix of culture and diversity," said Aidan White, General Secretary of the IFJ. "But we have to guard against discrimination in all its forms. The initiatives and recommendations identified in this programme show media how they can help make diversity a living reality for all citizens. The media need to understand that if they don't engage with diversity they have a build-in sales decline".
The study publication including the recommendations will be finalised by end of March 2009.
More information about the study on http://www.media4diversity.eu/en/content/more-study
A selection of our articles translated to English:
Muslims, the Roundabout Dogs, and Freedom of Speech
Muslims' loud protests became headlines in Swedish newspapers when artist Lars Vilks portrayed Islam's prophet Mohammed as a Roundabout dog. But the voices that wanted to question this interpretation remained silent. Out of that silence grew a gross image of Muslims as a uniform and easily provoked mob.
Q&A: Magnus Hjort
...Director at the Secretariat for Research and Strategic Analysis at the Swedish Emergency Management Agency, who has commissioned the report "The Roundabout Dog and the Freedom of Speech - A Study of Nerikes Allehanda's publication: Justifications, Reactions and Dialogue."
Journalists Mimic the language of Politicians
Journalists adjust to the language of politicians and government agencies when it comes to reporting on immigration.
"If the government believes that Sweden needs labor, newspapers write about newly arrived immigrants in a positive manor. If the government demands a more restrictive immigration policy, this affects the media, says the scholar Gunilla Hultén, who has studied 50 years of news reporting.
Betweenship, not outsiders
What do you call the sense of being an immigrant in Swedish, but being Swedish abroad? The people behind the website "The Betweenship" have a suggestion. Quick Response has met the founders Teresa Sida Norgren, Nathan Hamelberg and Angelica Tibblin Chen.
Q&A: Marc Femenia
...photojournalist who criticizes the image of immigrants in the photo exhibit "We, the Unseen" at The Museum of Work in Norrköping. The exhibit consists of a series of portraits of successful people in the professions of architect, journalist, physical therapist, Member of Parliament, or business school graduate - all with foreign background.
Who is an Immigrant?
The newspapers are full of people who are called immigrants. It´s often hard to tell if this refers to people who have just come to Sweden or if they are people who have lived here for 30 years.