InfoMigrants: European media outlets launch news platform for refugees

European media outlets have launched a new website designed to provide refugees with verified and balanced information at every step of their journey.

Financed by the EU, InfoMigrants is a cooperation between Deutsche Welle (DW), France Médias Monde (FMM) and Italian news agency ANSA.

"This cooperation among three leading European media to serve a European and worldwide cause was unprecedented and the European Commission promptly agreed to back us with funding," the three media partners said in a joint statement.

Available in English, Arabic, and French, the project is intended to reach people in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, especially those who are considering fleeing to Europe.

"The aim of InfoMigrants is not to encourage or discourage migrants from heading for Europe," said FMM's Marie-Christine Saragosse.

"Rather, it is to ensure they are in a position to make an informed decision."

The website offers information and stories to explain the perils of the journey and realistic expectations of the European asylum process.

Its offerings include daily news briefings, refugees' reports of personal experiences, and informative pieces, such as explainers for the EU-Turkey migrant deal.

It also explains how to obtain residency permits, school assistance for minors and families, and access to healthcare, as well as information about Starthilfe Plus, a German-funded programme providing assistance for voluntary repatriation.

"We want to provide refugees with independent information in order to unmask those false stories that are being put out by smugglers and people traffickers," DW director of programming Gerda Meuer said.

"In the future, migrants will also be able to send us their videos and photos. We would like to start a conversation with them via social media."

ANSA's deputy director Stefano Polli stressed the danger of misleading reports spread by smugglers and human traffickers.

"The millions fleeing war, persecution and poverty don't have reliable information," he said.

"We are journalists and we have to write news items, doing a good job if we can, which is not something to be taken for granted.

"In this case, and in others, we are called on to perform a social duty".

Amara Makhoul, the project's chief editor, said a final version of the website, to be released in May, would include a participatory section where migrants can share their own experiences.