Public Service Announcements About Migrants: Strategic Constructions to Reduce Prejudice

In countries with large refugee and migrant populations, it is crucial to build good relations between the new-comers and the host communities. One method of increasing social acceptance and reducing prejudice is using media-based information and awareness-raising activities. This study examines five public service announcement (PSA) films prepared by the Turkish Presidency of Migration Management between the years 2017-2021 to increase the social acceptance of migrants, and discusses their potential to reduce prejudice. The PSAs are examined using a visual content analysis method focusing on the migrant profile, narrative structure, language and tone, emphasis on difference or similarity, representation of stereotypes, and narrator. Three main findings emerged from the study: Firstly, the PSAs feature a theme of “Great Türkiye”, which emphasizes the greatness of Turkish history and assigns a responsibility to Turkish people to protect those in need, ultimately constructing a superiority over migrants. Secondly, PSAs present migrants in an ambivalent way as capable people contributing to the Turkish economy (visual) and as people in need of help (narrative). Thirdly, PSAs use emotional language to deliver messages of understanding and benevolence. Overall, the study argues that PSAs strategically construct Turks as superior and portray migrants as ambivalent to reduce the perception of migrants as a competitive threat to Turks and with an emotional language they make the didactic messages seem less oppressive and patronizing. While these strategies may promote acceptance, their long-term impact is questionable if they are not supported by the teaching of values such as equality and respect.