Mizzou J-School a Part of Protest Story

In Europe, Short-Lived Sympathy for Migrants, Refugees

"Western European newspapers became significantly more sympathetic towards migrants and refugees immediately after photographs of a drowned boy on a Turkish beach were published at the beginning of September, but within one week most had reverted to their original editorial position," the European Journalism Observatory reported on Monday.

"By the end of the month all were less positive than at the beginning.

"Most newspapers in Eastern Europe and Baltic States did not publish the photographs and barely covered the story, according to a study of recent media coverage of the migration crisis.

"The first detailed analysis of how newspapers in eight European countries reported the movement of nearly 750,000 people across the Mediterranean to Europe this year, revealed distinct national trends, but also political bias in some newspapers that transcended national boundaries.

"It found that newspapers in Western Europe were generally more compassionate towards the plight of migrants and refugees, compared to Eastern European and Baltic countries which remained generally 'negative, unemotional and anti-EU,' . . ."

• Tonyaa Weathersbee, Florida Times-Union: We can't turn our eyes away from the refugee crisis

Ethiopians, Too, Want to Tell Their Own Stories

"This time a week ago I was recovering from nearly 20 hours of exhausting travel but still experiencing a mental, emotional and intellectual high after spending two weeks teaching journalism in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,"Robert Naylor Jr., a coach, consultant and former director of career development for the Associated Press' News Division, wrote Monday on his blog.

"My colleagues were some of the most exceptional storytellers — writers, photojournalists, and documentary film makers — with whom I have ever worked (and I have worked alongside some of the best). I felt blessed to share things I have learned in more than 35 years as a journalist. . . ."

Naylor also wrote that "my Ethiopian students want to contribute to the global narrative about a country no one knows quite the way they do: the national pride; the rich history; the remarkable art and music; the diverse culture; the rapidly growing economy; the fact that theirs is the only African nation never colonized; and the peaceful coexistence of Christians, Muslims and Jews for more than 1,000 years. They know first-hand of its deficiencies: inadequate infrastructure, unsafe roads, soot-belching cars and buses, inferior emergency medical care and too few opportunities for women.

"But they also know that the Ethiopia depicted in global media — plagued by famine and conflict — is not theirs. While I was there, a story in American media said Ethiopia is suffering a severe drought. That is true for a portion of the county, but no truer than saying the United States was suffering a severe drought based on conditions in California. Western media often exaggerate negative depictions and ignore everything else.

"Why should we Americans (especially African Americans) care about helping Ethiopians and other Africans change the narrative of their county and their continent? Because in working with them, we learn things we might never have imagined and our lives can be transformed in ways we never imagined. Plus we can then share richer, deeper, more accurate stories about our own country, its people, and its place in the world."