- A public engagement project with migrants in the Netherlands
RNW Media, in collaboration with Utrecht University Data School and the Future + Literacies + Methods Lab, conducted a two-pillar national study on migration narratives in the Netherlands (2000–2024). The research analysed 125,000 Dutch news articles and combined this with 7 months of fieldwork and interviews with migrants to understand how media framing and lived experience intersect. The findings show that Dutch media predominantly frame migration as a “problem” for the country, with politicians dominating the narrative.
While migrants are often absent or abstract in media coverage, they still feel its effects: exclusion, othering, racialised perception, and self-censorship in both online and offline spaces. The research highlights the need to amplify migrant agency, build counter-narratives, and foster public awareness that humanises migration beyond policy and crisis language.