Concept of the Immigration in Media Essay Example

reports to reflect their party's ideologies. For example, a media station aligned with an anti-immigration political party may utilize its platform to express concerns and shape public opinion accordingly. Additionally, newspapers and magazines tend to offer more comprehensive information than other forms of media.

The reason for this is that a TV segment can only last 30-40 seconds, while a newspaper article can take up an entire page and have a longer duration.

Effects of framing

Framing is crucial in political debates as it has been used successfully by many individuals as a strategy (Benson, 2013). It has the power to manipulate our perception of an issue by emphasizing one aspect over another. This means that we are presented with the information chosen by framers rather than the actual truth. For instance, recent studies indicate that media coverage focusing on requirements instead of necessity can impact welfare support (Larson, 2006).

The media's focus on the requirements of catering for immigrants can highlight the significant resource costs involved, leading people to oppose immigrant welfare. However, shifting the focus to the essential need can appeal to the compassion of citizens in the host nation, prompting support for immigrant welfare and even inspiring personal contributions. This demonstrates that framing issues can influence Americans' attitudes towards migration, especially considering the widespread belief that many immigrants are present illegally. Additionally, when media coverage predominantly highlights a specific group rather than the overarching issue, it can elicit attitudes towards the group rather than the main issue at hand. For instance, if the media repeatedly emphasizes immigrants rather than addressing immigration as a whole, people's attitudes will center around immigrants rather than acknowledging

the larger concern of migration.

According to Kendall (2011), limited support for immigrants may occur if the media portrays them negatively and perceives them as a danger to society. The actual fear, however, may be immigration itself due to flawed immigration policies that allow undesired immigrants into the country. Unless those policies are changed, immigrants will continue to arrive in the country even if citizens have a negative attitude towards them. Additionally, Larson (2006) argues that media coverage can shape people's perception of immigration based on tone. If the tone is predominantly negative, it can evoke negative sentiments and result in minimal support for immigrants and immigration as a whole.

Examples of media frames

Reports indicate that there is a fivefold increase in negative stories about migration compared to positive stories (Sua?rez-Orozco et al., 2011). This has led to various immigration frames emerging in recent years in the US with significant impact.

Media framing is a real occurrence that deserves scrutiny, specifically in Arizona within the United States. The coverage of Arizona's anti-immigration bill by newspapers and magazines such as The New York Times and Arizona Daily Star was notable (Sua?rez-Orozcoet al, 2011). It should be noted that while these publications did provide both supportive and opposing viewpoints on the bill, they clearly focused on this subject.

According to various media sources, supporters of the bill made exaggerated claims in its support. They argued that immigrants are a financial burden on the economy and use taxpayer money that could be invested elsewhere. Additionally, these publications portrayed immigrants as potential dangers to public safety, linking them with terrorism, drug cartels, and diseases like Ebola (O'Leary, 2014). Some publications even suggested implementing

measures such as border restrictions and deporting undocumented immigrants to protect the residents of Arizona.

In conclusion, the majority of articles emphasized the necessity of job protection, as immigrants were perceived to be taking jobs that could have been filled by Arizona residents (Benson, 2013). Surprisingly, some even proposed sanctions for employers who knowingly hired immigrants. The opposing arguments highlighted the role of immigration laws in promoting racism and the potential unfairness of the bill towards ethnic minorities such as legal migrants, thus deeming it unconstitutional (Publishing, 2010). Furthermore, they referenced the United States as an immigration state and emphasized how immigration had contributed to the nation's strength and economic growth.

According to Talini ; McMahon (2015), the articles suggest that there was a bias in the media towards promoting the passage of the bill, while also trying to maintain an appearance of neutrality by including some opposing views. The arguments in favor of the bill were more persuasive and appealing compared to those against it. The media mainly focused on security and economic topics, which would resonate with Americans. Although some perspectives unfairly generalize all immigrants, Larson (2006) argues that there are also valid ones. Essentially, within the same group, there are both problematic individuals and good individuals.

The media's influence on public opinion about immigrants can have a significant impact on their daily lives. The way these debates are presented often leaves immigrants feeling unwanted and can lead to negative behavior as they believe society already holds a negative perception of them. It is crucial for the media to handle this issue sensitively and recognize that real people's lives are at risk. When reporting stories about

immigrants, the media should strive to provide accurate and unbiased information. (Publishing 2010) (Sua?rez-Orozcoet al, 2011).

Emphasizing solution-oriented arguments is crucial over criticism in order to prioritize individuals. A method to achieve this is by increasing public awareness regarding the potential harmful intentions of specific foreign individuals and encouraging them to report any suspicious activity. It is important to note that within the larger immigrant community, only a small portion poses a threat.

Suggested Policy

The media's portrayal of immigration can have substantial repercussions in particular circumstances, as demonstrated.

Implementing strategies to minimize or eliminate framing is crucial. Granting the media its independence is one proposed policy that can help achieve this goal (Kendall, 2011). An independent media operates free from external influences, ensuring the dissemination of truthful information. Essentially, it means allowing media outlets to report factual subjects without any government or organizational interference. To achieve this, parliament needs to enact appropriate legislation in alignment with the constitution.

Additionally, it is crucial to inhibit the connection or association between media and specific political entities. Doing so will greatly assist in curbing the dissemination of political agendas through media outlets. As previously mentioned, this is a significant factor contributing to framing. Moreover, it is imperative to thwart media monopolies (Kendall, 2014).

Having only one media station operating in a country poses a risky form of government control. When a media house functions as a monopoly, the public automatically trusts the information it presents. Consequently, any immigration framing information disseminated by the media house carries significant weight among the public. To avoid this scenario, it is essential to establish policies that lower entry barriers in the media market, which will attract more

investors to the industry. Moreover, it is pivotal for the government to guarantee that media stations caught spreading unfounded immigration framing information apologize to immigrants and the public and also furnish accurate information.

Finally, it is crucial for the government to implement strict laws in order to penalize media stations that distribute inaccurate information on any subject, including immigration (Benson, 2013). By effectively enforcing these policies, the prevalence of media framing associated with immigration is likely to decrease.

Conclusion

The existence of media framing regarding immigration cannot be denied and it is evident that not all information provided by the media about immigration can be relied upon (Kendall, 2011). Some of this information may have political motivations and certain individuals benefit from such framing. This highlights potential corruption within certain societies where the media disseminates incorrect information to cater to specific groups. While it is important to recognize that the media may still uncover genuine issues, it is equally vital to acknowledge the negative impact caused by numerous false narratives (Kendall, 2014).

In order to eliminate media framing, it is crucial to eradicate corruption within the media industry. This can be achieved through the formulation of clear laws outlining the process for immigrants to enter a country (Larson, 2006). When the public is aware of these laws, they will be more likely to support immigrants because they know they have followed the proper procedures, making it difficult for the media to manipulate them. Ultimately, immigrants are individuals seeking a normal life.

References

• Benson, R. (2013). Shaping immigration news: A French-American comparison.
• In Talani, L. S., & McMahon, S. (2015). Handbook of the international political economy of migration.
• Kendall, D. E. (2011). Framing class:

Media representations of wealth and poverty in America.

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Lanham u.a.: Rowman & Littlefield.

O'Leary, A. O. (2014). Undocumented immigrants in the United States: An encyclopedia of their experience. Santa Barbara, Calif: Greenwood.

Publishing, O.

E. C. D. (2010). International Migration Outlook 2010. Paris: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Sua?rez-Orozco, M.

M., Louie, V. S., and Suro, R. (2011). Writing immigration: Scholars and journalists in dialogue. Berkeley: University of California Press.