2008-09-24-皮尤-Every_Now_and_Again--A_Study_on_News_Coverage_of_Immigration_17页_133kb

Summary of News Coverage of Immigration in 2007

Key Findings:

1. Episodic Nature: Immigration coverage was inconsistent, with low baseline attention (typically < 2-3%) in most months, punctuated by spikes during legislative debates. (February-March: ~1.4-2%, April-June: higher, July-Sept: ~1.8%, Oct-Dec: ~2.7%)

2. Overall Ranking: Immigration ranked #4 among top news stories of 2007 overall, just below US Politics/Elections (~30% newshole) and Foreign Policy, but ahead of Business. However, media composition showed strong political leaning during its coverage peaks.

3. Constraint of Presidential Campaigns: Despite demographic changes making immigration relevant to voters, presidential campaign coverage was dominated by election "horse race" politics. Out of 5,657 campaign-related stories, only 75 covered immigration.

4. Major Coverage Surge (May 17 - June 28): This period coincided with the Senate-White House immigration compromise bill and its subsequent failure. Immigration became the top story by overall media, with talk shows and cable/radio hosts heavily amplifying the debate.

5. Politicalization: Over half (54.2%) of immigration coverage focused on legislative debates. The debate became highly politicized, heavily influenced by conservative voices.

6. Influence of Conservative Media: Conservative talk radio hosts (31%) and cable TV talk hosts (18.5%) led in immigration coverage. Figures like Limbaugh, Hannity, Savage, and Dobbs drove coverage, often emphasizing anti-immigration sentiment, concerns about amnesty, border security, and criticizing political opponents or the media. Liberal talk radio hosts paid less attention.

7. Media Differences:

   • Talk/Radio vs. Newspapers/TV: Cable TV and Talk Radio offered more opinionated and less diverse coverage compared to newspapers and network TV. Immigration was less front-and-center (though still significant) in traditional news formats and newspapers.
   • Cable Sectors: Lou Dobbs (CNN) had the highest percentage (31%) of coverage among cable talkers. Fox News was supportive but generally less so than Dobbs. MSNBC was less focused on the specific bill.
   • Spanish vs. English Media: Spanish-language print and broadcast media gave immigration higher prominence generally and focused more on immigrants' experiences, community impacts, and specific consequences, whereas English-language media focused more on the political maneuvering.

8. Breakdown During Peak Coverage (May 17-June 28):

   • Overall: Immigration surpassed presidential campaign coverage in overall media.
   • Cable: Immigration was #1 for Radio, #3 for Cable TV, #2 for Newspapers, #4 for Network TV, and #6 for Online.
   • Talk Radio: Conservative hosts dominated (31% of newshole), critical of the bill. Liberal hosts paid minimal attention.

9. Newspapers: Provided relatively continuous coverage compared to other formats. National papers focused on legislation, events, and immigrants' perspectives. Local/regional papers showed variation, with more coverage in states like Texas and California. Coverage was produced primarily by internal staff.

10. Online: Had lower overall coverage rates and ranking, though CNN.com gave it some attention comparable to its cable news commitment. Was heavily reliant on wire service content.

11. Concluding Trend: Immigration became a politically driven narrative. Future campaigns (like 2008) were predicted to elevate its political profile. Economic conditions were noted as potentially influencing attitudes and future coverage.