Hostile or Helpful: The Media’s Portrayal of Immigrants in California and Ireland

Abstract

Immigration has become an issue of controversy and debate across Europe and The United States. Since the early 1990s, the increase of immigration and anti-immigrant propaganda in California and Ireland has resulted in pressures exerted on citizens and immigrants to find a way to integrate into a more multicultural society. Linguistic labels applied to news media can evoke judgment and shape citizen attitudes depending on the labels attributed to immigration and immigrants in the public discourse. This study employs mixed-methods content analysis to analyze the frames implemented by Californian and Irish media in their portrayal of immigration through the medium of online newspapers. To conclude whether the portrayal of immigration was harmful or helpful, this study includes a systematic analysis of articles from four online newspapers in the time between January 2019 and June 2019. The analyzed data is from The San Francisco Chronicle, The Los Angeles Times, The Irish Times, and The Irish Independent. The findings reveal that the current framings of immigration in both Ireland and California give a positive portrayal of immigration in the media that may aid in shaping how citizens react to future discussions on immigration and undocumented immigrants. The study concludes with a discussion of the limitations and possibilities for future research.