This section follows the main news of some mainstream media of the Greater Region with the aim of deconstructing what is considered news and how those news are framed: what is talked about and what not.
The news that stand out
The main article in page 2 "Pourquoi pas une claque au lieu d'un coup mortel ?" comes from the front page "Le cri du coeur de la famille de Jonathan" : it exposes the complains of a family for the death of Jonathan A. after being kicked out and killed by a bouncer (a security guard) in Petange around three months ago. A couple of days after the "drama", the security guard was released under judicial supervision. The family asks: Why was the bouncer so violent? Why is the bouncer free? Why is the bar still open? What is left unheard is: any mention of human rights or, its violations... the right to live? Is it in any way justified that someone, intentionally or unintentionally, is left dead after some drinks? The text normalizes extreme violence while suggesting that security forces will not face consequences for it.
On page 2 "Longs délais de traitement": the news justifies the long delay to define the situation of persons demanding international asylum in Luxembourg. The justifications come from European regulations (Dublin III) and the multiple crises that impact the treatment of the demands. The final statement is that this situation will continue. The image that accompanies the news shows tents outside with the statement that immigrants wait long times to know their future. What is left unheard: the violation of human rights when people seeking asylum are left without shelter, without safety. The image suggests that as people seeking asylum wait, they are left on the streets to live in tents. That has become a reality for some men seeking asylum in Luxembourg. The text and image normalizes the mistreatment of people seeking asylum.
On page 2 "Une mendicité pas pénalisée": the news narrates how from 2019 to 2023 begging was not prohibited in Luxembourg simply because it did not exist in the penal code. The news ends reminding that begging is now prohibited in Luxembourg city during the day in the city center. What is left unheard: violations of human rights. Again, there is a normalization of violence against vulnerable groups in society. Furthermore, the title is misleading: begging was not prohibited in the past, now it is in Luxembourg city.
On page 7 "Dix millions d'habitants en Suisse avant 2050? Non ": The news start with the statement that the main political party (which L'Essentiel acknowleges as the far right political party) in Switzerland believes that all the problems of the country are due to an uncontrolled migration. The CDU proposes a law proposition to change the constitution as immigrants are seen as a problem. The title of the law proposition is the title of the news in L'Essentiel, namely "10 millions of inhabitants in Switzerland?". The news repeats the justifications of the far right from security matters, traffic, and higher insurances. This might imply closing the borders with the EU. The title of the news suggests people already answered the proposition. They have not. The image shows a man in a suit in front of the poster against migration with the text under "the text includes measures concerning asylum." What is left unheard: the human rights violations that such law proposition implies. Statements of the far right are repeated irresponsibly while there is no voice from those who oppose it. There is no proof that the source of the problems is migration. there is no need to prove anything, It is taken for granted. In the meantime, there is no mention what is pushing an increasingly amount of people to migrate.
Overall view
The news above have one common line: they talk about the need of security and the cost of such security (either the unintentional and involuntary death of a person outside of a night club, the treatment of people seeking asylum, the prohibition of begging, or even the assumption that people agree with the radical right party for a referendum to change Constitutions to restrict human rights and freedom of movement in a whole country).
Mainstream media and other actors are drilling this as an argumentum ad nauseaum: the need of security due to the dangerous, uncontrolled and problematic others (immigrants, homeless, asylum seekers, etc.). These others form part of the most vulnerable in our societies. Although the problems are real (economic crisis, health crisis, political crisis, etc.), there is no proof that the source of the problem are these vulnerable groups. The vulnerable groups become an easy scapegoat and an easy solution to offer to people from the complexity of the overlapping crises our societies confront.
To contrast with the persistent fear of certain groups and the unjustified need for security, the same newspaper has as main title as well "Le Luxembourg, c'est ma maison" with Tali particpating in Eurovision to represent Luxembourg. Incidentally, she was born in Israel and lived in several countries before migrating in 2009 to Luxembourg. When asked how she wants to represent Luxembourg, she responds "I want to represent the cohesion and unity. Half of the population is international. (...) One can feel at home here and it is unique. This is the particularity of Luxembourg. Everyone is welcomed here..." Not asylum seekers, not poor people that beg, not immigrants if the statements of the Swiss far right are repeated without any opposing views or perspectives and the law proposition is sold as one that will be passed in the referendum.
The news incur in disturbing long stretches of cognitive dissonance between their stories and reality. The real issues: the climate crisis, the extreme and increasing inequalities, the dismantling of democratic institutions and processes, the increasing violations of human rights are largely ignored, minimized or hidden.
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