Top tips on how to submit a complaint to a newspaper

The way journalists choose to speak about migrants and refugees holds power. The language and voices they include carry immense weight in shaping the public's understanding of migration. That’s why it’s important to challenge newspapers when they put out articles that stoke division or spread misinformation about migrants and refugees.

1. Find the newspaper’s complaint policy. Just google “newspaper name + complaint policy” and that should get you there.

2. At the start of your message make sure you reference: their complaint policy, the article you are complaining about, when and who it was published by.

3. Explain why it matters. What’s the issue here? Is it inaccurate information? Are they sharing a harmful narrative that could risk further violence towards migrants and refugees? Or maybe they’re not presenting a nuanced account of the topic.

4. Make sure you say if you’re personally impacted. They are more likely to respond if you are.

5. What do you want them to do about it? This could be removing a video, changing specific inaccurate or harmful language or removing the article entirely and issuing an apology.

Depending on the newspaper, you might be sending an email or filling out a form. Either way, just follow the five steps and you’ll be good to go!

Words matter. They impact the way we see and treat people. If you want to make your complaint extra powerful, make that clear and share Runnymede’s recent report on the role of the media in creating a culture of hostility.