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A content analysis of local and national perspectives concerning Alabama's proposed immigration law

Posted on:2014-04-14Degree:Ed.DType:Dissertation
University:Alabama State UniversityCandidate:Daniels, Roslyn HFull Text:PDF
GTID:1456390005493264Subject:Law
Abstract/Summary:
The purpose of this study was to determine how newspaper organizations helped shape public opinion about Alabama’s immigration law drafted in 2011. More specifically, it examined local and national newspaper articles from 2011 for their coverage of Alabama’s proposed immigration law to determine if they were framed through one of three lenses: economic, political, or humanistic. For this study, ten newspapers were utilized. Five newspapers were national and five newspapers were local, or published exclusively in Alabama. Thirty-five articles were selected for analysis. Of the articles selected, 16 articles were from national newspapers and 19 articles were from local newspapers. Data were analyzed using traditional content analysis.;The following themes were identified under the economic lens: (a) job availability, and (b) unintended economic consequences . The following themes were identified under the political lens: (a) state sovereignty, (b) state image, and (c) political loyalty. The following themes were identified under the humanistic lens: (a) civil rights, (b) moral obligation, and (c) family preservation. Conclusions drawn from this study include major themes present in the 35 articles analyzed were consistent with previous works on factors attributing to attitudes toward immigration, local articles provided a more balanced approach to addressing each component, and economic factors were discussed throughout each component, affirming the fact that economic factors are highly regarded as a major rationale against illegal immigration. Recommendations include replicating the study with a larger sample and alternative forms of media to see if identified themes persist.
Keywords/Search Tags:Immigration, Following themes were identified, Local, National
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