Essay Sample on Latino Immigrants: Evidence, Images and Press Views

Introduction

From the various forms of evidence gathered, there are different ways through which a particular group may be identified. For instance the immigrants who in this case are Latinos are in fear of the way the press views them. In order to come up with the required information, the researchers went ahead to find images, borders and some kind of information about the immigrants. Through collection of data from the magazines and reported news in order to come up with a relevant report of the Latino immigrants. They are then able to assess the images that they find to relate them to the finding of the immigrants. What they seek to discover is on the illegality and criminal behavior that is related to the immigrants is really true. Most time the immigrants do not have the documents required and therefore they are taken as detainees and criminals. When it comes to working, they are only engaged in the activities that require less skill. The immigrants are therefore treated in a negative manner with threats with the criteria that is used to classify the immigrants (Farris & Mohamed, 2017).

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Immigration is considered to be one of the issues that is seen to have distinct features that make it different from the others. The reason is that there has been evidence establishing that immigrants are treated in a negative manner especially considering the way that the media reveals negative information about the immigrants. The media only projects on the negative side thus revealing only the bad side thus making immigrants appear to be bad. The media is considered to be quite influential especially on the information that they share with the rest of the people it would only be good if they would use the chance to also spread positive information. For example between year 1980 and 2011, the New York Times was seen to be quite influential. Immigration mostly affects the aspect of partisanship in the aspect that the media tends to frame the immigrants which has adverse effects on the immigrants (Abrajano, Hajnal, & Hassel, 2014).

According to Abalu, (1) a study was done to find out on the representations about immigration from three different newspapers between 2015 and 2016. The three newspapers all had three different target audiences. The stories discussed regarding immigration were mostly connected towards having political campaigns that most of the tomes had no distinct answers to the questions that may have resulted. Immigrants were most of the times given bad names like illegal immigrants, being discriminated against and being marginalized. In most cases, immigrants were seen as Latinos or Mexicans and their concern or theme for discussions were related to being terrorists and criminals that was also among the reasons for the ban of the bad people coming from countries with terror. The articles that dealt with this issue made good facts based on politics about these immigrants. The articles however only gave overview information and not in depth about immigration with solid facts, sources, samples that backed up the claims that they had regarding the immigrants. The topic about immigration is one that has raised a lot of political noises mostly regarding the issue of border and the perception of immigrants as a result of the message spread about them.

In the world, journalists serve the purpose of always being on the watch for any issues that may arise and require discussion and also receive the people's views about a particular issue. It is not only on the issues that require close attention and research but all the information relevant for development or one that requires critiques even from the members of the public. Immigration is an issue that has raised many concerns over the last period of many half a century especially in the United States. The discussions about immigration require serious discussions about this issue and tend to require research and views from the immigrants themselves. It is only with this that the correct information about immigrants that the correct information will be shared with the people. Some journalists are diligent in their work to the extent that they go to conduct investigations in the immigration agencies. The studies that the journalists conduct end up not having captured the relevant information without digging deeper to find out the causes of some of the factors that contribute them to move to the United States like the attacks (Abalu, 2).

There was a shift in concentration of the news being conveyed to the people from the ones of joblessness to immigrants and immigration being the major topic of discussion by almost all the media sources. There was more specific attention put closely on racism and a threat to order in public and also the humanitarian challenges that the immigrants suffered. To acquire information on this, the government sources are relied on most of the times. On the other hand, the foreign sources and international organizations that are mostly concerned with issues of immigration. Over the years the issue of immigration has become more politically based that it previously was. Some people try to hide their feelings about immigration but with facts it is found out that there were things that they were trying to hide. To some they find themselves talking about immigration even when the discussion was meant to be immigration based. The people are concerned about the issue of immigration. The style of reporting about immigration tends to emphasize on the humans who have had the experience with individuals who are immigrants. The reporters need to adopt critical modes of assessment of the problem that they intend to cover in their research from the immigrants. This tends to be a problem still when it comes to coverage of news. The journalists require being more critical in their assessment and information. When it comes to government officials they want to rely more on immigration information to make it political. They want to be seen as different figures while nothing is done about the challenge (Abalu, 2).

According to McClain, (8) the media is the most common method that is used to socialize by human beings. The media has a major impact when it comes to the lives of people because it helps to shape the beliefs, knowledge, perceptions and the values of people. Through the technology based methods, it has been able to make the discussion sites that are influential to people. In the critical issue of immigration, the media has been seen to use a method through which they use metaphor to bring an illusion of immigration and other problems like that of crimes of war. The metaphors are used in a way that it is only those who know what the term means are able to understand. Metaphors are now being used to make the immigrants be dehumanized for they use words like 'animals' to refer to the immigrants. Terming them like animals then means that they should not be entitled to the humane methods of treatment like being denied education, medical treatment and mere basic needs. Framing of words like illegal aliens also tends to dehumanize the immigrants. They end up benefiting economically rather tha helping to keep the immigrants in good conditions (McClain, 10).

Metaphors have also been used to stand for the racism attitude not hidden towards the immigrants. Daily use of metaphors goes without any question despite the challenges that come in handy with its use. The public accepts them without any questions therefore they are left for application without question. The metaphoric words some seem to be more common and used frequently than others. In this case immigrant can be termed as a "pollutant", "invaders", and "criminals" also "infectious disease" is another term that is also used to refer to them such names are very dehumanizing. It shows how much hatred that these people experience despite them not having any they are seen as foreign elements attacking the good health of the body. In a clean house, immigrants are defined as the dirt in the house. The commonly used metaphors are between the media and government. The reason is that the government is a monopoly that is influenced in most of the actions that it is to undertake. The information was acquired from three main media houses that enabled the researcher to come up with a definite answer to the issue about metaphor (McClain, 11).

McClain (12) was able to find out the various forms of language use by the media with regard to the immigrants as will be discussed below.

Affirmative Language Use

The term framing is used most of the times to define how a person is described using words or coming up with a method through which within a certain field an appropriate concise answer will be arrived at. The framing words will normally help to change the decisions which people are likely to make and also from the situations that have influenced the reasons why a certain choice was made. The frame is circulated through a form of message, images of the context of being discussed, moral and other forms of conceptual framework. The language chosen is important because it will help to bring out the moral and conceptual terms of the discussion. It important that the words selected be chosen wisely in order to ensure that they have chosen the proper wording for the term that they intend to use in their articles for example that will be used to refer to the Latinos. There was an assessment done and it was discovered that in some articles the term undocumented and immigrant appeared way too many times about thirty times in just a single article.

Negative Language Use

The language used when speaking about immigrants is negative language even in the online media sources. In this case negative means the aspect of dislike or not in approval of something. Therefore the language used on the media sources about immigrants is in a negative manner. The wording can have a serious effect on the immigrants. Most of the websites that do not support migration always use negative language describing immigrants. Calling them "illegal migrants" was used mostly to define the immigrants. They do not hide the hatred that they have towards them they even go to the extent of saying that their borders are closed because they come illegally into their country. McClain (17) went ahead to do a search in relation to stations that used negative terns but hid behind the government cloak in defense of this for example FOX took a negative stand towards immigrants. They had used a quotation that was negative and there was a negative commentary about immigrants being de-stemmed after the elections. A comment like this one shows the racist nature towards immigrants. They are most of the times seen to be inferior. The media sites against immigration show the much stereotype that they have directed towards the immigrants.

Linguistic Tools

The words used by the online media are seen to be not much into talking about immigration it was covered up to avoid too much talking about immigration. The wording really matters a lot when it comes to the selection of the language to be used in the particular article. McClain (21) says that she found the term illegal migrant having been used very many times in an article that she had seen. The choice of language is also in a negative aspect where too much disguise is shown on the way that the language is so much negative. The media sites that are against immigration use words that are very hateful and with racial discrimination also connected to them. Some words like destroying and threatening the immigrants, "perfect storm" and also "crisis" appeared too much in the articles especially of those who had hard feelings directed towards immigrants. It is like they have been fed with too much negativity that they cannot see them as human. It is from the negative media posts of immigrants bein...