Journal Entry #5

Exploratory Journal #5

Lydia Birt

Dunaway, Johanna, Regina P. Branton, and Marisa A. Abrajano. "Agenda Setting, Public Opinion, And The Issue Of Immigration Reform." Social Science Quarterly (Wiley-Blackwell) 91.2 (2010): 359-378. Business Source Premier. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.

            My fifth source was written by Dunaway, Branton, and Abrajano, and is entitled Agenda Setting, Public Opinion, And the Issue of Immigration Reform. I was looking for an article that had evidence that border states and non-border states have a different level of concern about immigration. These authors argue that the media is a huge influence on the public, and that the media in border states chooses to cover stories about immigration more often than the media in non-border states. However, when an increase in media about immigration occurs in a non-border state, it is more alarming to the public than in a border state with a higher Latino population. Dunaway, Branton, and Abrajano could not conclude if the reasoning behind attitudes towards immigration was purely geographical, as there are other factors to consider such as differences in ethnicity, religion, and gender. They argue that national public opinion has grown towards concerned for border security as media attention towards immigration has also increased.

            Dunaway, Branton, and Abrajano noticed the difference in opinion of immigration in geographical terms before the media increased its attention on immigration. Border states tended to show a higher concern for border security because they were surrounded by immigration and the media was already concentrated on local issues. Non-border states did not receive as much media attention, but that has changed with recent updates in national security. Mukherjee and Adams argued that the government’s contradictory punishment of immigrants created racial bias, which suggests that the media would also be capable of influencing the public negatively towards immigrants. Perry also focused on the social detriments from the government’s policies, and how opinion can sway from how the government and the media portray immigration. My fifth source argued that before the government and the media began to put extra effort into border security, non-border states were not likely to vote for the enforcement of policies regarding immigration, because they were unfamiliar with it.

            I was excited to find this source because it discussed the importance of geography in public opinion. However, it also enlightened me; I was focused on the government’s policies affecting public opinion while the media is an equally influential factor. It also proves that before the hype about illegal immigration began in the last ten years, the government and the media were both not correctly informing the public of policies and actions being taken. Now, the media focuses so much on the negative aspects of immigration that it is influencing non-border states (who are barely adversely effected by immigration) to vote for the enforcement of policies. I still think solidarity of opinion is the answer, but it should not come from the government or the media, because they are both too concerned with their own agendas. The government should be more concerned with the economic strain its actions place on American tax dollars. Rather, solidarity of opinion should come from correctly informed public citizens. Border states have a higher Latino population, but does that cause them to support border security or is it simply the influence of the media? There should be unbiased political discussion available to the public where not only can true opinions be made, but also adequate information presented.

            My next step in research will be to find more articles that have an opposing opinion to mine. I I have been noticing that my sources in my synthesis paragraphs tend to agree. I will try to find something that discuss the importance of enforcing border security and its benefits, and form a more educated opinion. I am still wondering why the government even wants to enforce its policies, and whether or not it is more beneficial for them to not spend money on enforcing border security.