When most people think about magazine coverage of national security, images of anti-immigration rallies and articles about the need for immigration reform often come to mind. For the most part, this perception is fairly accurate, with major magazines like “Time” typically covering this side of the story. While some of these articles do frame immigration in a positive light, overall the coverage is fairly negative, and almost all of the reports are geared toward the American viewpoint on the issue.
However, there is another, less well-known, side of magazine coverage of immigration. There are many smaller magazines geared specifically toward immigrants, focusing on how to improve the life of an immigrant rather than emphasizing the problems caused by immigration. Publications such as “The Immigration Times” and “The Immigrant Magazine” cater to these audiences, with articles ranging from job-hunting to health advice for immigrants. Common topics include:
- Gaining green cards/ United States citizenship
- Finding employment in the United States
- Education, both for children and adults
- Entertainment, such as music and movies
- Personal stories from other immigrants
- Current events and recent developments in immigration reform
These niche magazines, which demonstrate the trend of fragmentation, offer a perspective on immigration that is rarely seen in the media today. While they do cover current events in immigration, these news topics are not the primary focus of immigration magazines. Instead, they concentrate more on lifestyle issues, providing immigrants with articles directly relevant to their situations. Although these publications are not the most prevalent forms of immigration coverage today, they play an important role by providing immigrants with a form of media designed specifically for them.