Visual Representations of Refugees in German Media 2010 - 2020

Another article by Der Spiegel sharing a creative project, the article "Es gibt keine Worte, die diese Hölle beschreiben können" (There are no words to describe this hell) published on May 4, 2019, showcases the photo project "Hate Hurts" by expat Italian photographer Cinzi D'Ambrosi. A total of 15 images from the project are presented in a slideshow along with the brief article. 

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By limiting the article to only four paragraphs, the journalists are able to keep the attention on D'Ambrosi's photographs and her journey through countries such as Greece, Serbia, Italy, and Bulgaria to document the inhumane refugee conditions. Furthermore, already in the first paragraph of the article, the journalist makes a large impression: this is the first article presented in this research to use the term "Geflüchtete" instead of "Flüchtling" to describe a refugee, and it was published only one year ago. Although both can translate to "refugee" in English and the debate over the importance of one word may seem infantile, organizations and individuals that support refugee causes have long fought to change the word "Flüchtling" to something less trivializing, as the "-ling" ending does to words in German from a linguistics perspective. Through the use of the more preferred term "Geflüchtete" the journalists at Der Spiegel demonstrate their understanding and support of this cause and act as an ally to refugees. 

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Additionally, each of the 15 photos published with the article has a detailed description, another example of support for the refugee cause. The majority of the photos are candid, photojournalistic styled photos from D'Ambrosi's personal interactions with refugees, with a few more "posed" portrait-type photos in the mix as well, such as the selection for this webpage above. 

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Once again, Der Spiegel manages to exemplify quality journalism while promoting art in support of refugees. 

Click here for the original article and full photo gallery.