English‐ and Spanish‐Language Media Coverage of Immigration: A Comparative Analysis*

In: Social science quarterly, Volume 89, Issue 4, p. 1006-1022

Abstract

Objective. We apply economic theories of news to explain differences between English‐ and Spanish‐language newspaper coverage of immigration.Methods. Using content analysis and contextual data, we examine newspaper coverage of immigration as a function of economic incentives of news organizations and the language of the newspaper outlet.Results. The results indicate that Spanish‐language news outlets generate a larger volume of coverage and more positive coverage of immigration when compared to English‐language news outlets.Conclusions. This specific topic is important and politically relevant because of the potential implications variability in media coverage of this issue hold for public opinion on immigration.