Letter to the Editor - Fairer Reporting of Crime Needed

Letter to the Editor – Herald Sun

I write in response to your article, Refugee pleads guilty to rampage at Docklands and Southbank (27.7.11) detailing John Gatwech-Chouil’s conviction for intentionally causing serious injury.

This article highlights Mr Gatwech-Chouil’s ethnic heritage and refugee background as facts relevant to the central story. The Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria (ECCV) advocates for fair representation of multicultural communities in the media. This type of reporting reinforces negative stereotypes by implying Mr Gatwech-Chouil’s ethnicity and refugee status are related to the crime he has committed. By doing so, the article links an ethnic community with the actions of one individual within that community, creating an implicit association between crime and ethnicity.

More generally, ECCV notes Australians of refugee background are regularly described as ‘Australian’ in stories of achievement and success, but reported as ‘refugees’ in stories of crime or negative contexts. The majority of refugees that arrive in Australia make excellent contributions to our society. Our consultations suggest these members of our community wish to be accepted as Australians. Needlessly referring to a person’s ethnic heritage or migration background does not help build an accepting society and we call for more balanced reporting on this issue.

Thank you,

Mr Sam Afra JP, Chairperson Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria