It is a fact that refugees and migrants are similar in several ways – both categories use the services of traffickers, enter countries illegally and have fake documents. These similarities do not influence the substantial difference between the two groups, and they also contribute to a great extent to the confused reference to them by politicians, the media, and ordinary people. Ultimately, this confusion leads to a situation where the different groups are treated in the same way – they are rejected.

The problems which people seeking refuge in Bulgaria face stem, to a great extent, from a lack of information. And this is where the role of the media comes in – the accurate information presented in an ethical way fights against prejudices in society. And the other way round – imprecise terminology, blurring the boundary between a refugee and an illegal immigrant create prejudices and therefore problems. In the worst case an article written in an incorrect manner can lead to outbursts of violence against a particular person or group. The same applies for revealing the identity people who have escaped persecution – these could be harmed or hurt as well as their relatives who still live in the respective country of origin.
download guide (.pdf, only in Bulgarian)