The Steering Group has signed the following on behalf of QARN:
Hate-filled media stories are creating a violent culture of hostility towards migrants and refugees.
A recent United Nations report singled out the UKâs media as being âuniquely aggressive in its campaigns against refugees and migrants.â[1]
The Daily Mail leads the pack, relentlessly portraying migrants in a negative light, only ever seeing them as a problem and never as human beings who can enrich the societies where they relocate.
Given the rise in violent hate crime that weâve seen in recent months, we need to stand up to the parts of the media that are helping legitimise racist and xenophobic attitudes. That means challenging the Daily Mail.
HELP STOP THE HATE
Newspapers depend on advertising revenues that come from large high-street companies â like Marks and Spencer.
Marks and Spencer proudly proclaims its ethical business credentials and presents itself to the world as a socially responsible company. So why are they associating themselves with newspapers that promote hate?
Call on M&S to withdraw its special offers and advertising deals with the Daily Mail.
Big companies like Lego and The Body Shop have recently announced that they will not advertise in the Daily Mail. With your help, we can add another big brand to the list and make sure that selling hate becomes bad business.
The email is as follows:
Dear Steve Rowe,
As the CEO of Marks and Spencer, a company that has ethical standards underpinning its business as laid out in its âPlan Aâ strategy, please can you withdraw your support for the Daily Mail.
It is a newspaper that promotes a dangerous xenophobic attitude towards migrants and refugees that Marks and Spencer should not be associated with.
A recent United Nations report singled out the UKâs media as being âuniquely aggressive in its campaigns against refugees and migrants.â The Daily mail was highlighted as one of the worst offenders. The newspaperâs disdain towards migrants means they are only ever portrayed in a negative light and are always presented as a problem that should be kept out of the UK. The Daily Mail never portrays migrants as human beings who can enrich the societies where they relocate.
The media play an important role in shaping public opinion, which means that their continuous hate towards migrants creates a more hostile and unpleasant society for us all. Hateful reporting in the media has even been associated with rising violent hate crime as it helps to legitimise racist and xenophobic attitudes.
If Marks and Spencerâs were to withdraw its advertising and special offer partnerships with the Daily Mail it would send a strong message that the vile, prejudiced and often dishonest, representation of migrants and refugees is not acceptable.
Yours sincerely