Media Influence on the
Division of Immigration
Presentation by Karen Solano Gomez
We will review..
1) The Causes of a Division on the Issue
a) Media Bias Through Language
b) Dehumanization of Immigrants
2) The Effects of Negative Media Portrayal
a) Association of Consumption with Prejudice
b) Stereotypes Against Immigrants
Cause #1
Media Bias in News Articles
Jessie K. Finch states,
“...metaphors of war (‘under siege,’ ‘invasion,’
‘defending/holding the line,’ ‘sneaking in’)”
“...natural disasters (‘floods of workers,’
‘surges,’ ‘opening the floodgates,’ ‘stemming
the ‘tide’)”
“...and references to immigrants using
dehumanizing imagery (‘round ups,’
‘swarms)’.”
Cause #2
Dehumanizing the Issue
Jessie K. Finch states,
“...Immigration coverage has also been linked
to an ‘us versus them’ framing of the issue,
emphasizing ‘otherness’, foreignness, and
alienation of immigrants.”
Effects of Negative Media Portrayal
Effect #1
Association of Consumption and Prejudice
Media’s Influence on Immigration Attitudes: An
Intergroup Threat Theory Approach
The Study
Participants watch one of two news segments. After,
they’ll answer a questionnaire.
The Findings
“The findings from the current study suggest that when
individuals experience intergroup anxiety stemming
from the media’s depiction of immigration threats, they
report attitudes that are congruent with in group
protection mechanisms” (Seate and Mastro).
Effect #2
Stereotypes Against Immigrants
The Negative Effects of Mass Media Stereotypes
of Latinos and Immigrants
The Study
Identify participant’s choice of news station. Ask
them about their opinions on Immigration.
The Findings
“In particular, those who consume and trust
conservative media are more likely to agree with
negative stereotypes and hold less favorable views
about Latinos and immigrants while those who
consume and trust liberal media are slightly more likely
to reject those negative stereotypes and hold more
favorable views of Latinos and immigrants” (Reny and
Manzano).
Thank you.
Works Cited
Atwell Seate, Anita, and Dana Mastro. "Media's Influence on Immigration Attitudes: An Intergroup Threat Theory Approach."
Communication Monographs, vol. 83, no. 2, 2016, pp. 194–213, https://doi.org/10.1080/03637751.2015.1068433. Accessed 12
May 2023.
Finch, Jessie K. "Media Coverage." Undocumented Immigrants in the United States: An Encyclopedia of Their Experience,
edited by Anna Ochoa O'Leary, vol. 2, Greenwood, 2014, pp. 457-460. Gale eBooks,
link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX6589300157/GVRL?u=library&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=03c68653. Accessed 12 May 2023.
The Immigration Paradox. Dir. Lourdes Lee Vasquez. The Immigration Paradox Movie, 2014. Kanopy.
https://santarosa.kanopy.com/video/immigration-paradox
Reny, Tyler, and Sylvia Manzano. The Negative Effects of Mass Media Stereotypes of Latinos and Immigrants. UCLA, PhD
dissertation. Google Scholar, Google,
scholar.google.com.http://tylerreny.github.io/pdf/pubs/reny_manzano_stereotypes_2016.pdf. Accessed 12 May 2023.