Immigration is one of the most frequently discussed issues in the news today, with large portions of newspaper and other mass media coverage devoted to this topic. In 2009, it was the 5th most reported topic in United States newspapers, comprising 2% of the newshole for newspapers nationally. However, a great deal of newspaper reporting on immigration is often biased, and recent studies have found that a variety of components can influence both the extent of this bias and the amount of coverage dedicated to immigration issues. Some of these influential factors include:
- Proximity to the US border
- Profit-making goals of the newspaper
- Political agenda of the newspaper or reporter
- Personal biases and experiences of the reporter
These studies have found that newspapers based out of cities closer to the US/Mexico border tend to show immigration in a more negative light in news stories, cartoons, and published opinion pieces. These newspapers also have significantly more coverage of immigration issues overall, presenting it as a much bigger problem than newspapers from cities far from the border. Economic concerns can also contribute to newspaper coverage, as papers tend to focus more on “sensational topics such as violence and crime” (Branton and Dunaway) in relation to immigration in order to sell more papers. Finally, the personal beliefs, goals, and experiences of reporters themselves can have a strong influence over how skewed newspaper coverage of immigration is. It is important to keep in mind the factors influencing newspaper coverage of immigration when reading articles about this topic.