Unaccompanied migrant minors in Italy are often portrayed in photojournalism in ways that can perpetuate stereotypes and prejudices. This is what Rosa Maria Martins-Silva's book tells us, which leads us to assume, in a well-founded way, three possible consequences of this representation of minors through the media: a misleading self-representation that is far removed from the reality of the unaccompanied minors themselves; a lack of understanding, on the part of public opinion, of the human reality of migrant minors; and an extension of stereotypes and prejudices also to those minors and young people who, although born in Italy to foreign families, are considered "foreigners" in relation to Italian society.
Rosa Maria Martins-Silva's research highlights how these forms of representation - photographic, in the case of her research - contribute to creating a distorted and incomplete image of unaccompanied migrant minors. In this way, prejudices about these minors are fed, which hinders a real understanding of their stories and experiences. What can be done? I believe that the solution - both for photojournalism and for written, radio and television journalism - lies in "intercultural journalism", which I talk about in the book Intercultural Communication and Journalism in the Digital Age (Cedam Publishing, 2014). Intercultural journalism has its roots in the concepts, know-how and willingness to act of intercultural education. It puts into practice a series of actions for a representation of migrants - be they adults or minors - that escapes stereotypes and prejudices.
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