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Media Bias: Shaping Immigration Perspectives
Throughout the history of America, immigration has been a huge topic in the great country. Originally starting with the thirteen colonies, many people from England, and ultimately people from around the world, all immigrated to America to seek a better life. Those who came had nothing, struggling to stay alive and most likely seeking freedom, fleeing their homeland and looking for better opportunities in life. Unlike other countries, America has a lot of things that other countries do not have to offer.
Due to the number of opportunities and technology here in America, people in the States get to see the glorious life of being in beautiful cities. There are tall and beautiful buildings, roads that have a sense of direction, colossal buildings, brushed and paved highways, giant bridges, constant noises of cars, animals, and constructions surrounding the area with plenty of other factors that give people a sense of hope for a better life.
Not for long, immigration did not merely become a problem until conflicts started to take place that devastated the country economically. After incidents, such as the attack of 911, which caused a huge political Spurr throughout the country, newspapers, news channels, and people around the country formed many negative perspectives against America’s immigration policy. Not long later, government officials decided to strengthen the policy.
Immigration became harder to enter the U.S. and was followed by mass deportation. It created two sides of the perspective, one for the people of America and the other for the benefit of America. Deportation caused a great commotion throughout the country, especially for immigrant families. They were separated and had to take care of themselves. Children were abandoned, and parents had to witness their kids being taken away; not only that but also they had to find a way to stay alive for themselves and to seek their kids from afar.
Half the country is against the new immigration policy, and the other half agrees with it. The biased story forms that separated the country came upon liberals and conservatives. Media sources use biased tactics such as bias omission, biased selection of sources, and biased story selection to take sides. This is one of the only ways in which liberals and conservatives can express their own thoughts by writing articles through media sources. For the most part, media bias can be seen in everyday life without anyone knowing or paying attention to it.
Media Bias in Immigration Discourse
It appears on the news, shows, and even paper articles. It is very common for people to speak well for themselves and ignore the fact that disprove their beliefs. One of the most common media biases is called bias by omission. Bias, by omission, is a type of media bias that supports either liberals or conservatives. It focuses mostly on taking a side by promoting one side’s purpose while leaving the other side’s story out. For instance, ever since Donald Trump became the president, he promised in his quote to “Make America great again.”
Many people were curious as to what he would be able to do as the president of the United States. He is known for his wealth as the first billionaire to become president. Based on his background, he seems very knowledgeable about the economy as well as politics which makes him seem like a knowledgeable man. One decision he made to help improve the economy was his immigration policy. Trump made it hard for people to come to America as well as planning to deport all undocumented citizens of the country.
This seems like a bad decision that would go against one’s morals, but from Trump’s perspective, it will significantly benefit America. Through media, a source called “The Balance” talks about the pros of President Trump’s policy change. This is biased because of patriotism and a superpower country; everyone in the country would want the United States to stand on top of every other country. Anything that would help improve the economy would be good for the people as well as for the government.
On the other hand, the perspectives of those who are to be deported are different. They are rather sad and depressed since they are separated from their families and friends. Their view of the new policy is seen as harsh and evil. For example, the article from “Time” talks about “how Trump’s immigration policy is splitting families apart.” It is partly about how a husband from a family who was never accused of any crime but was ambushed by ICE agents while heading to work; got caught and was deported. Leaving without any words, he had no other choice except to part ways with his family.
Emotional Appeals and Source Selection
It’s biased because it ties into pathos, making people emotionally sad and angry. People do not generally want to hear these types of stories where families are forced to be a part of each other. Especially when the immigrant has not committed any crime and was merely driving to work in the hope of supporting his family. Bias by omission is a tactic that works well for one perspective while ignoring facts and statistics from the other opposing side. Besides bias by omission, audiences also like to hear opinions from experts or news sources. People generally believe words are coming out from experts. This type of media bias is called the selection of sources. Selection of sources is when media news sends out a speaker or source for themselves. The speaker can either be an expert in the field or a witness that shares their point of view on the subject, while the source is usually one-sided.
Most of the speakers that were picked are people that have the same perspective. They usually share what is usually called a one-sided story. It leaves out sources from the opposing point of view. For example, in the article from the “Time,” “No one is safe. How Trump’s immigration policy is splitting families apart”. The article is about an immigrant named Maria, whose husband was deported back to Mexico, and had to take care of her kid alone. In her quote, she cried, “It’s a cruel way to live!” Even though this quote seems short, it packs meaning to it. It is words coming out from the victim’s family that show the reader how it is cruel to live without her husband. It’s not only her; many other immigrants were also targeted and separated, and they all felt the same. One of the sources from the opposing side was from the list of pros and cons of the immigration policy. In the article, it said, “Illegal immigration lowers wages by 3 to 8 percent for low-skilled.
References:
- “The Balance” (Source discussing pros of President Trump’s policy change)
- “Time” (Source discussing the impact of Trump’s immigration policy on families)
- List of pros and cons of the immigration policy (Source providing opposing viewpoint)
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