Visual Representations of Refugees in German Media 2010 - 2020
By: Cassidy Chreene Whittle, M.S. GMC - German
Advisors: Dr. Britta Kallin, Associate Professor of German, and
Dr. Richard Utz, Chair and Professor, Literature, Media, and Communication
A baby crying in Edirne near the Turkish-Greek border, where refugees have spent the night
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung / March 4, 2020/ photo by AP
This emotive photograph of a crying baby along on top what appears to be a pile of clothes was published with the article "Günther: Wir sollten ein Beispiel geben" by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on March 4, 2020. The caption contextualizes the image as "Ein Baby weint in Edirne nahe der türkisch-griechischen Grenze, wo Flüchtlinge die Nacht verbracht haben" (A baby crying in Edirne near the Turkish-Greek border, where refugees have spent the night).
The unaccompanied baby is surrounded by blankets and plastic bags filled with items as he rubs his eyes from crying. It is unclear if the baby is one of the under-aged refugees that Schleswig-Holstein's Minister-President Daniel Günther is offering to accept from Greek refugee camps, or merely if the AP was able to capture a photo of the baby without his or her parent present, making it an impactful photo of an under-age refugee. Although the Minister-President sees his actions as "setting an example," many members of the CDU party claim allowing some refugees will only motivate more people to make their way into Germany.
Through this photo's focus on a young and vulnerable individual as opposed to large groups migrating together, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung journalists are able to generate some empathy in the viewer's to perhaps agree with the rogue Minister-President in his decision to help the children and accept them into his state.