How Local News Frames American Immigrants: Selections From Four Daily Publications

Abstract

This study analyzes local media reportage of United States immigrants through four daily publications: The Hartford Courant, Des Moines Register, The Brownsville Herald, and The Casper Star-Tribune. It examines 582 front pages across 150 dates between 2016 and 2018 to discover regional publications’ editorial biases with regard to immigrant representation. It asks: to what degree do publications publish stories on crime versus positive immigrant contributions? How do local newspapers report on immigrant contributions to American culture? The data analysis finds distinctive frameworks employed by each publication, including patriotic sentiment toward and against new immigrants, strategic use of both empathy and fear in line with the political leanings of selected publications, and a tendency toward more positive reportage amongst articles written by local correspondents.