Thanks to your support we’ve managed to reach our first milestone of 1000 signatures in a little over 24 hours. As you all understand, the news and media have a huge responsibility to accurately report on events. They directly influence public opinion, which influences governments, and in turn foreign and domestic policy. Their choice of words and use of language is crucial, and in this respect the BBC should be leading the world. Although this petition has been addressed to the BBC, it could and should equally be directed towards all news sources and media outlets. Please continue to share this petition so that we can raise awareness and hopefully greet these people with sympathy and compassion when they arrive on our shores and not, as we are seeing more and more often, with suspicion and hatred.