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Visual representations of refugees likely have a determinative function in the ways policies are written and aid is dispensed for crises resolution efforts. We use theoretical concepts from the visual framing literature and two studies—a content analysis and an experiment—to examine the effects of six visual frames. We study the content of newspapers from four countries for the following visual frames: ‘individual’, ‘massified’, ‘mother and child’, ‘father and child’, ‘receiving aid’ and ‘working refugees.’ Next, we examine the impact of these frames on intention to donate. Findings demonstrate that individuals with higher positive attitude towards refugees showed higher intention to donate. However, among these participants, intention to donate was highest in the ‘individual’ frame condition. On the other hand, among the participants with lower positive attitude towards refugees, the highest intention to donate was in the ‘working refugees’ frame condition. Implications are discussed.

This paper investigates how the visuals of two children affected by the Syrian conflict, Alan Kurdi and Omran Daqneesh, circulate within the humanitarian imaginary. I argue that these communication artifacts offer us an opportunity to explore the links between two areas not often thought of in conjunction: ethical theory and mediation. The goal is to contribute to our understanding of the relationships between communication ethics and the mediated representations of subjects who are perceived as “Others.” The visuals of Alan and Omran are appropriate for this investigation, given their evident Otherness as Syrians to a predominantly Western audience. Exploring these visuals in the light of Emmanuel Levinas’ ethical call of the Other and the mediated visibility of sufferers will further our understanding of the connections between communication ethics and mediation as textual and social/ethical practice.