DUBLIN, Ireland, August 24 (UNHCR) – Gaby Tshimanga has lived in Galway for the past seven years and regards the province in western Ireland as home. But there's one thing that gets his goat – negative and inaccurate media coverage of refugees and asylum seekers in Ireland.

"Media is a powerful tool, it can change things," noted the refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. "Even though refugees are giving their best, this doesn't appear on television. Mostly what you see is the negative side," he added.

But rather than sit back and ignore the criticism, he and other refugees are learning how to put over their side of the story. Tshimanga is taking classes on communications and public relations at the Carlow Institute of Technology and earlier this month took part in a media workshop run by UNHCR in partnership with D-Talk, a development training agency.

The 15 male and female refugees and asylum seekers on the two-day exercise in Dublin were all active volunteers of agencies promoting refugee rights. The course was designed to equip them with a sound knowledge of media practices in Ireland and the skills to defend themselves and place accurate and positive stories in the print and broadcast media.

The UN refugee agency decided to launch the initiative after refugees taking part last year in UNHCR's Age, Gender and Diversity Mainstreaming outreach programme complained that they were being misrepresented in the Irish media. They were also concerned about their inability to respond effectively.

An experienced journalist conducted the course, teaching the participants how to write and review press releases and giving tips and practical exercises for interviews on radio and television. The training helped participants understand the power of the media to deliver messages through their individual stories.

"The confidence of the group really increased and we learned a lot of useful skills, like how to prepare interviews and protect ourselves, for refugees and revealing information that could be dangerous to themselves or others," said UNHCR intern Emma Brady, who sat in on the course.

Tshimanga explained that he did the course, "because it's important for us to know how to deal with the media and respond to it, and to explain the situation of refugees here." While he agreed there was a role for UNHCR and other agencies to speak out for refugees, he and the other course participants felt it was also very important that refugees speak for themselves.

The workshop participants have organized themselves into an informal network ensuring they can continue to learn from each others' media attempts, and respond to journalists looking to speak directly with refugees.

Manuel Jordao, UNHCR's representative in Ireland encouraged the group to make their mark in the Irish media. "Everything they have learned from mock editorial conferences and mock radio interviews and drafting press releases will, I hope, help them get a strong message out to the Irish public, telling the story why refugees come to Ireland and what they can contribute if allowed the opportunity."

He believes that "authentic voices and personal stories" are the best way to explain what protection is, why people flee persecution, and how Irish people can support refugees in Ireland. "Refugees can tell you about their experience of war, terror and torture. They can also tell you better than anyone else what a restrictive asylum policy can do, whether it is their experience of being detained at an airport or the struggle to reunite their families."

By Steven O'Brien in Dublin, Ireland

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