Story language
Human stories drive trust
Visibility without victimhood
Social media first stories
Empower collective voices
Constructive journalism
Story language
Disenfranchised audiences often turn to diaspora-led or community-based media because they feel seen and heard there — not just because of language, but because of tone, perspective, and cultural familiarity. Many do not consume mainstream media due to language barriers, a lack of local context, or the feeling that traditional media objectifies, stereotypes, or ignores them. When news is only available in the majority language and frames these groups as “others,” it deepens their sense of exclusion and invisibility.
Recommendation
Produce and promote content in the languages spoken by these communities (e.g., Ukrainian, Romani, Hungarian), or at minimum provide multilingual subtitles and translations. Ensure the content reflects cultural context and avoids mainstream framing that may feel alienating. For refugees and linguistic minorities, even practical how-to information feels more trustworthy and usable when presented in their own language.
Case Study
Our Slovak partner attempted to connect with the Hungarian minority. Producing a dual-language story (in Hungarian and Slovak) allowed the outlet to engage Slovaks and Hungarians more effectively. A simple, visual Facebook ad in Hungarian outperformed complex carousel formats, showing that language accessibility and visual clarity can build trust and drive higher engagement, even on politically loaded topics
Human stories drive trust
Disenfranchised audiences are highly sensitive to tone and often distrust abstract or institutional narratives. They respond better to storytelling that restores dignity and features relatable characters from their own communities. Campaigns or journalism framed around individual experiences rather than top-down facts create space for empathy and reduce the risk of retraumatization or disengagement.
Recommendation
Use constructive, human-led stories to frame complex or stigmatized issues (e.g. healthcare access, gender-based violence, housing). Avoid institutional or overly technical language. Where possible, co-create content with members of these communities and prioritize peer voices over expert commentary.
Case Study
Our Romanian partner, in collaboration with Ukrainian refugee women, co-created social media videos that significantly outperformed dry-facts-based stories, all while maintaining the women's anonymity. Human-led stories drove both reach and engagement (e.g. one video had over 20,000 views and no hate comments). By showing women helping each other, the project built trust with Romanian women and minimised negative reactions, even when tackling sensitive disinfo topics like state support for refugees.
Visibility without victimhood
Disenfranchised groups often feel they are only represented in the media when there’s a crisis or scandal. This leads to a form of “conditional visibility” — they are either ignored or cast as victims, criminals, or burdens. These portrayals, even when well-intentioned, can erode trust and reinforce stereotypes.
Recommendation
Break the “visibility = crisis” pattern by showing positive, everyday stories of dignity, resilience, and contribution. Highlight people from these communities as agents of change, not just as subjects of suffering or policy debates. Include first-person narratives, success stories, and solutions-focused reporting.
Case Study
In one of our co-produced Romanian reports on Ukrainian refugee women and gender-based violence, stories featuring successful integration, better access to education, or community solidarity received the most engagement and positive reactions. In contrast, stories with abstract data or overt appeals to pity triggered less interest — confirming that dignity-focused storytelling resonates better with this audience.
Social media first stories
Disenfranchised audiences primarily access journalism via social media — especially Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube. But performance is highly format-specific. For example, vertical videos, relatable reels, and short-form explainers do significantly better than long-form videos or static infographics.
Recommendation
- Use platform-native formats like Instagram Reels or TikTok explainers when working with migrant, minority, or queer audiences. Prioritize vertical video, mobile optimization, and captions or voiceovers in minority languages. Humanize issues with faces, stories, and everyday language rather than facts-first framing.
Case Study
In one of the S+ projects with a Romanian partner, short vertical Instagram videos that presented personal experiences and disinfo warnings outperformed long horizontal videos. Social media stories that referenced misinformation in the captions — especially around health and refugee rights — received the highest engagement. Engaging women aged 25–34 proved especially effective, showing how platform and format alignment can unlock interest in hard topics.
Empower collective voices
When stories about refugees or migrants focus solely on facts or experts, they risk feeling distant or didactic. However, when individual voices are woven into the reporting arc — especially when collected through participatory methods like surveys — they shift the tone from confrontation to shared humanity. Presenting a range of responses (including shame, resentment, hope, or solidarity) helps reduce polarization and validates different emotions without judgment.
Recommendation
- Use participatory methods (like surveys, open callouts, or comment-driven reporting) to incorporate community voices — not just as sources, but as part of the storytelling structure.
- Curate a variety of responses to avoid tokenism and reflect complexity. Position them as dialogue starters, not conclusions. This can help bridge divides between migrant and non-migrant communities, especially in politically charged contexts.
Case Study
In the Ukrainian project on Ukrainian migrants, the team gathered anonymous stories and feelings from Ukrainians both inside the country and in the diaspora. Integrating these voices into the reporting — alongside statistics and expert commentary, created one of the most engaged campaigns Ukrainian outlet has had on war-linked migration. One Instagram carousel alone reached over 200,000 users, and the tone of comments shifted from mockery to thoughtful disagreement, support, and even vulnerability. The posts showed how stories of division can spark empathy if framed inclusively, not antagonistically.
Constructive journalism
For disenfranchised groups who feel unseen or constantly portrayed through a lens of crisis, stories that highlight solutions, progress, or human resilience help counter the fatigue and alienation often caused by mainstream media. Constructive journalism doesn’t ignore problems — it contextualizes them through stories of agency, community support, or personal growth, which can help reduce news avoidance and increase trust.
Recommendation
- Balance stories about harm or exclusion with those showing how individuals and communities are navigating these challenges. Feature examples of integration, solidarity, successful service access, or grassroots support. Avoid ‘savior’ narratives — instead, center dignity and agency. Constructive stories don’t need to be overly positive — they need to feel possible and relatable.
Case Study
In one of our co-produced news story in Romania on refugee women, stories that showcased successful adaptation and mutual support — such as Romanian and Ukrainian women helping each other through shared challenges — received significantly more engagement than those framed purely around vulnerability or danger. Comments remained positive, with no hate speech, and the campaign even increased page followers — a key trust indicator. Constructive storytelling in this case visibly reduced hostility and increased empathy from Romanian audiences.