When you stand up for the dignity of human beings, you are immediately perceived as politicised, said Francesco Rocca, president of the International Red Cross at the 73rd UN General Assembly session on migration, before using a poignant metaphor to describe the shift in how NGOs are perceived - by pointing out that no one questions the role of a firefighter when rescuing people from a burning building.
Moderated by Thomson Foundations OPEN Media Hub team leader, Dominique Thierry, the high-level debate took place in New York on 28th September, 2018, bringing together speakers including the UN special representative for international migration, Louise Arbour, director general of the International Centre for Migration Policy, Michael Spindelegger, and the Tunisian and Maltese foreign ministers, Khemaies Jhinaoui and Carmelo Abela.
Up for discussion were issues such as the narratives constraining world leaders in the migration policies that they can propose, the role of media in the migration debate and how to ensure that all migrants, regardless of legal status, have access to the protection and assistance they need.
Francesco Rocca, president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies briefs press at the 73rd United Nations General Assembly. Credit: UN/Loey Felipe
Early September brought reports of more women, men and children drowning in the Mediterranean after their boat capsized between Libya and Malta. Many of the survivors suffered burns from fuel spillage. Others, including pregnant women and children, were taken to a migrant detention centre in Libya, which has been described as harmful and arbitrary by M decins Sans Fronti res.
Giving migrants back their dignity was key to Francescos speech, and echoed in Dominiques follow-up about the incredibly positive stories coming out from Italy, particularly of the Bangladeshi migrants settled in Palermo and bravely taking on racketeers, and the very important work of public authority officials and the police force to give migrants what they were being deprived of in life, their basic human rights.
The second story was by a journalist trained and mentored as part of Thomson Foundations OPEN Media Hub project . It earned her a first-prize award at the second OPEN Media Hub-supported Migration Media Award in Tunisia that took place a few days before the UNGA.
"OPEN Media Hub has led to award-winning stories bringing about an awakening among policymakers."
Dominique Thierry, Thomson Foundation, team leader, OPEN Media Hub With a migration-reporting curriculum and dedicated online course, with face-to-face and hands-on workshops and production mentoring, the OPEN Media Hub has led to award-winning, tremendous stories bringing about an awakening among policymakers, says Dominique. This was highlighted at the UNGA high-level panel discussion.
-- Play
-- --
Watch Thomson Foundations Dominique Thierry moderate a high-level #UNGA debate on migration at the UN headquarters in New York on September 28th, 2018
The Migration Media Award rewards journalists for in-depth and balanced coverage of migration in the Euro-Mediterranean region. In order to win the competition, eligible entries need to consist of an already published story and a proposal for winning an EU-funded contract to produce new content covering migration.
Journalists are under-equipped to foster a new migration narrative away from the victims' stories which lead to a sense of powerlessness, continues Dominique. Thomson Foundation and its partners in the Migration Media Award, aim to foster constructive and solutions-based journalism.
Forty-one journalists from 18 countries were rewarded for journalistic excellence in the way they reported on migration. All winning entries are available here.
Related content
Migration Media Award 2018
Acknowledging the best, and often bravest, in migration coverage from across the spectrum.
Course: The Ethical Journalists Toolkit
A Journalism Now online course designed to increase your ability to cover sensitive subjects and tackle ethical challenges.
Course: Reporting on Migration
An OPEN Media Hub course giving journalists a good understanding of the complex issues of migration, refugees and human trafficking.
Sara Loane Communications Manager
About: Sara is responsible for the creation and delivery of engaging and effective messages, campaigns, publications and print and digital design concepts that support and promote the foundation.
We get around. Explore our project map
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
10/06/2026
DAZN-owned digital-media company launches three fan-first series leaning into cr...
10/06/2026
Clear-Com has announced the appointment of Jason Dino as Southwest Regional Sales Manager USA, covering Southern California and the Southwest region. Dino joins...
10/06/2026
An 11% decrease in number of global broadcast deals reflects the organization...
10/06/2026
The Women Without Boundaries Awards recognize women whose work is advancing the future of media, broadcast, AV, workplace technology, digital experience, and re...
10/06/2026
Today is match day minus two for FIFA and HBS. On Thursday, there will be two ma...
10/06/2026
SES is supporting broadcast distribution of the world's biggest football tou...
10/06/2026
NDI has announced that BirdDog has become the first hardware manufacturer to achieve full NDI 6.3 compatibility across its complete lineup of cameras, encoders,...
10/06/2026
Vince Caputo and Scott Carter, winners of the 2026 Sports Emmy for Outstanding Post Produced Audio have been announced as presenters for the 2026 SVG Advanced A...
10/06/2026
FOX One today unveiled a slate of new product features and enhancements designed to elevate the viewing experience for fans on the official streaming platform o...
10/06/2026
Primary production partners Dome Productions and Raycom Sports once again played...
10/06/2026
The Women in Sports Filmmaking Experienceship is an immersive professional devel...
10/06/2026
The league has expanded its HSAN architecture for the NBA Finals to manage more ...
10/06/2026
The inaugural MoonPay X Games League (XGL) Winter Draft will take place Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at Cosm Los Angeles from 7-9 p.m. PT. The event will strea...
10/06/2026
The University of Oklahoma (OU) Athletics Department and Learfield have announce...
10/06/2026
The Video Services Forum (VSF) has released TR-06-4 Part 8, a new specification for RIST Satellite-Hybrid: Out-of-Band Method. The specification creates a mecha...
10/06/2026
Riedel Communications provided the communications infrastructure for the 14th World Live Neurovascular Conference (WLNC) in Lisbon, supporting live medical proc...
10/06/2026
A still from The Doom Generation by Gregg Araki (Courtesy of Sundance Institute)
By Lucy Spicer
Have you checked out our Sundance Film Festival 101 list yet...
10/06/2026
Get Hands-On with Interfaces & Mic Preamp Brands
If youre after a new interface or preamp, then GearExpo UK is the place to be! Well have a whole host of au...
10/06/2026
November 13-14 2026, The Midway, San Francisco
Following their recent rebranding, MONO Music Conference (formerly Music Expo) have officially announced thei...
10/06/2026
Debut instrument free for limited time
deFORM is the debut release from newly founded developer ebbandflow, and it's being offered as a free download fo...
10/06/2026
Alone Australia Season 4: Meet the Cast
10 June, 2026
Media releases
WATCH THE TRAILER
Smash-hit survival series Alone Australia drops its highly anticipa...
10/06/2026
DEADLY THEN, DEADLY NOW, DEADLY ALWAYS: SBS & NITV IGNITE NAIDOC WEEK 2026 WITH ...
10/06/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF advance laser-based drone defense with THORIS LCS Rohde & Schwarz is showcasing THORIS at ILA 2026: A sovereign, end to end counter...
10/06/2026
MAHLE and Rohde & Schwarz develop application for sensor testing of modern drive...
10/06/2026
Production and Development Funding supports the creation of compelling, commercially viable, artistic and culturally relevant South African screen content. Deve...
10/06/2026
Media buyers and sellers can now compare YouTube reach from computer, mobile, an...
10/06/2026
Accedo, Humans not Robots, and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) have announced the launch of Ecoflow X. Formerly an IBC Accelerator project, ...
10/06/2026
Frequency, the engine powering the world's leading streaming television channels, today announced that James Smith has joined the company as General Manager...
10/06/2026
At the 14th World Live Neurovascular Conference (WLNC) in Lisbon, Riedel Communications provided the communications infrastructure for live medical procedures s...
10/06/2026
Globecast, a leading provider of broadcast, media, and entertainment managed services, today announced the launch of its Content Exchange platform powered by Or...
10/06/2026
Klvr will showcase how venues, integrators and production teams are rethinking disposable battery usage at InfoComm 2026 (Las Vegas, June 17-19, booth #N6311). ...
10/06/2026
The Video Services Forum (VSF) has further enhanced the Reliable Internet Streaming Transport (RIST) protocol by incorporating a new feature, RIST Satellite-Hyb...
10/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/06/2026
10 Jun 2026
VEON's Banglalink Brings Every World Cup 2026 Match to Football...
10/06/2026
Wednesday 10 June 2026
How to watch every ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 match live on Sky Sports
Where is the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 availabl...
10/06/2026
Wednesday 10 June 2026
P RLA brings first-ever Beautifully Clean Oral Care'...
10/06/2026
Wednesday 10 June 2026
Sky reveals pulse-pounding first teaser trailer for upco...
10/06/2026
Wuppertal June 10, 2026
Riedel Artist at the Heart of the 14th World Live Neurovascular ConferenceAt the 14th World Live Neurovascular Conference (WLNC) in Li...
10/06/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Showcases New Mobile Experience, Collections and Games Vision in APAC
Product
10 June 2026
GlobalSouth KoreaJapan
Link copied to c...
10/06/2026
Back to All News
Ready to Join? The Netflix Fan Club Arrives at Cannes Lions
Business
10 June 2026
Global
Link copied to clipboard
Download all assets
N...
10/06/2026
Chemists snap together complex 3D molecules from highly reactive radicals-without losing their shape Scripps Research team develops stereoretentive radical-radi...
09/06/2026
Kiswe announces an expanded long-term partnership with ONE Championship (ONE), t...
09/06/2026
SiriusXM will broadcast FOX Sports' English-language commentary for all 104 FIFA World Cup 2026 matches from June 11 through July 19, available to subscribe...
09/06/2026
EVS has announced it is changing its corporate name from EVS Broadcast Equipment to EVS, reflecting the company's expanded portfolio beyond broadcast equipm...
09/06/2026
Fox Corporation and the NFL have announced a multi-year agreement to bring NFL c...
When you stand up for the dignity of human beings, you are immediately perceived as politicised, said Francesco Rocca, president of the International Red Cross at the 73rd UN General Assembly session on migration, before using a poignant metaphor to describe the shift in how NGOs are perceived - by pointing out that no one questions the role of a firefighter when rescuing people from a burning building. 
