Populism and knee-jerk reactions are rife in debates about how best to handle the biggest migrant crisis since the second world war. So, a Danish newspaper has handed editorial control over to a group of refugees to dispel some myths and highlight their plight.
The Dagbladet Information - an independent left-leaning publication that sprung from the Danish resistance in World War II - gave the refugees full editorial control and help with research and translation.
"For politicians, refugees are just a problem to be solved as quickly as possible, and most prefer to do it without looking them in the eye," said an editorial in the special issue. "Today it is the refugees who speak to us."
The refugees from Syria, Somalia, Afghanistan and other countries selected to take part in the special project were all professional journalists in their homelands and many were forced to flee because of their work. Some were new arrivals to Denmark and others have lived there for some years.
The publication announced the decision via Twitter:
"This is a chance to show the Danish people a different picture - we are giving them a new kind of story made by refugees," wrote Dalam Alasaad, a Syrian journalist from Palmyra who came to Denmark via Turkey last year.
The paper’s front page was written by a journalist from Iraqi Kurdistan and focused on the consequences for war-torn countries who've lost large numbers of men travelling to Europe and on conditions for the women left behind.
The 48-page special issue also examined life in Danish refugee camps and sought to address three myths about the migrant crisis, namely that Syrians are the only true refugees, that refugees are flooding Europe and that most are economic migrants. Features editor Lotte Folke Kaarsholm told The Guardian:
Refugees are almost all we talk about in Denmark these days. We thought we would shut up and let refugees set the agenda. What we got is radically different from what politicians are discussing.
The small, liberal paper has a daily circulation of about 20,000 but printed extra copies of this special edition.
"Our main message to our readers is don’t be afraid, refugees can be good for Danish society," wrote Dalam Alasaad.
Denmark's governing Venstre party won power in June after running on an anti-immigration platform and recently tightened citizenship rules.
