“Are You Coming from Europe or the Middle East?” – Analyzing Ethical Implications of the Initial Coverage of Ukrainian Refugees in Western Media

Abstract

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, forced thousands of Ukrainians to leave their homes and seek refuge mostly in Europe and the U.S. These new refugees laid bare a trend in Western media: in their initial coverage journalists in Europe and the U.S. made a clear distinction between what they called “white, European” refugees and their counterparts from the “Third World” and more blatantly – “Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan”.

This study uses the initial coverage of Ukrainian refugees in the West as a case study to be compared to the coverage of wars in the Middle East and the “refugee crisis” that hit Europe after Syrians were forced to flee their country in 2014. It looks at the conflicts through the ethical lens and explores more empathetic, comprehensive, and responsible ways of covering a conflict.