President Donald Trump framed the migrant caravan during the 2018 U.S. midterm elections as an in... more President Donald Trump framed the migrant caravan during the 2018 U.S. midterm elections as an invasion, using it to attack the Democratic party. Trump’s attitude towards the caravan can be placed in the wider context of relationships between the U.S. and Latin American countries, reinforced by the mainstream media’s representation of Latino/Hispanic migrants as the other. However, the diasporic media frame topics in ways that represent and support the migrant’s own interests and create identities that bypass transnational borders. This research examined 55 articles about the migrant caravan published by La Hora Voz del Migrante, a Guatemalan diasporic newspaper, between Oct. 15 and Dec. 2, 2018.
We found wide and sympathetic coverage of the reasons for migrating and the situations the migrants face on their way to the U.S. This coverage actively challenged Trump’s rhetoric, creating a sense of pan-ethnic solidarity between the countries of the Northern Triangle and Mexico. However, due to the level of involvement and the power of the U.S. in the region, Trump remained one of the main actors driving the conversation about the migrant caravan.
This research studied the way immigration is depicted by the neighborhood press of Barcelona. Ma... more This research studied the way immigration is depicted by the neighborhood press of Barcelona. Mainstream media tend to give visibility to immigrants when problems arise. Through this visibility based on problems, and the processes of framing, a virtual social identity is constructed and given to the immigration population. However, the neighborhood press of Barcelona, inscribed within the Catalan regional press’ own idea of journalism, offers a different approach to this issue due to its history, neighborhood and commitment to the region. Through a frame analysis, three main frames gave a depiction of the immigrants different from the one the mainstream media use. The results show that this differentiated depiction still stereotypes immigrants while not granting them enough visibility even when there is no blaming or attack. In this sense, while accounting for the differences, the neighborhood press of Barcelona misses a chance of depicting immigration in a more accurate way.
When Michelle Obama was first introduced to the American public in 2008, she was depicted in the ... more When Michelle Obama was first introduced to the American public in 2008, she was depicted in the media as an unpatriotic, stereotypical, angry Black woman. Today, she is more popular than the president. This study examines the narrative about Michelle Obama created by the first lady and the White House through YouTube videos uploaded in an attempt to redefine her in ways that are more acceptable to the public. The authors examine that narrative in videos posted by the White House, mainstream news and entertainment outlets, and allied organizations, with a focus on the intersectionality of gender, race and class in her story. The findings indicate that Obama’s story reflects a neoliberal narrative framed by two themes: (a) the American Dream is achievable through education, hard work, and perseverance; and (b) motherhood and family are primary. Within this neoliberal narrative, racism and poverty are obstacles to be overcome through making the right choices, and gender is viewed through the narrow lens of motherhood rather than gendered inequalities. This narrative is both shaped and constrained by Obama’s race, class background, and gender, as well as the goal of creating a more acceptable public persona.
President Donald Trump framed the migrant caravan during the 2018 U.S. midterm elections as an in... more President Donald Trump framed the migrant caravan during the 2018 U.S. midterm elections as an invasion, using it to attack the Democratic party. Trump’s attitude towards the caravan can be placed in the wider context of relationships between the U.S. and Latin American countries, reinforced by the mainstream media’s representation of Latino/Hispanic migrants as the other. However, the diasporic media frame topics in ways that represent and support the migrant’s own interests and create identities that bypass transnational borders. This research examined 55 articles about the migrant caravan published by La Hora Voz del Migrante, a Guatemalan diasporic newspaper, between Oct. 15 and Dec. 2, 2018.
We found wide and sympathetic coverage of the reasons for migrating and the situations the migrants face on their way to the U.S. This coverage actively challenged Trump’s rhetoric, creating a sense of pan-ethnic solidarity between the countries of the Northern Triangle and Mexico. However, due to the level of involvement and the power of the U.S. in the region, Trump remained one of the main actors driving the conversation about the migrant caravan.
This research studied the way immigration is depicted by the neighborhood press of Barcelona. Ma... more This research studied the way immigration is depicted by the neighborhood press of Barcelona. Mainstream media tend to give visibility to immigrants when problems arise. Through this visibility based on problems, and the processes of framing, a virtual social identity is constructed and given to the immigration population. However, the neighborhood press of Barcelona, inscribed within the Catalan regional press’ own idea of journalism, offers a different approach to this issue due to its history, neighborhood and commitment to the region. Through a frame analysis, three main frames gave a depiction of the immigrants different from the one the mainstream media use. The results show that this differentiated depiction still stereotypes immigrants while not granting them enough visibility even when there is no blaming or attack. In this sense, while accounting for the differences, the neighborhood press of Barcelona misses a chance of depicting immigration in a more accurate way.
When Michelle Obama was first introduced to the American public in 2008, she was depicted in the ... more When Michelle Obama was first introduced to the American public in 2008, she was depicted in the media as an unpatriotic, stereotypical, angry Black woman. Today, she is more popular than the president. This study examines the narrative about Michelle Obama created by the first lady and the White House through YouTube videos uploaded in an attempt to redefine her in ways that are more acceptable to the public. The authors examine that narrative in videos posted by the White House, mainstream news and entertainment outlets, and allied organizations, with a focus on the intersectionality of gender, race and class in her story. The findings indicate that Obama’s story reflects a neoliberal narrative framed by two themes: (a) the American Dream is achievable through education, hard work, and perseverance; and (b) motherhood and family are primary. Within this neoliberal narrative, racism and poverty are obstacles to be overcome through making the right choices, and gender is viewed through the narrow lens of motherhood rather than gendered inequalities. This narrative is both shaped and constrained by Obama’s race, class background, and gender, as well as the goal of creating a more acceptable public persona.
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Papers by M. Meyers
We found wide and sympathetic coverage of the reasons for migrating and the situations the migrants face on their way to the U.S. This coverage actively challenged Trump’s rhetoric, creating a sense of pan-ethnic solidarity between the countries of the Northern Triangle and Mexico. However, due to the level of involvement and the power of the U.S. in the region, Trump remained one of the main actors driving the conversation about the migrant caravan.
Catalan regional press’ own idea of journalism, offers a different approach to this issue due to its history, neighborhood and commitment to the region. Through a frame analysis, three main frames gave a depiction of the immigrants different from the one the mainstream media use. The results show that this differentiated depiction still stereotypes immigrants while not granting them enough visibility even when there is no blaming or attack. In this sense, while accounting
for the differences, the neighborhood press of Barcelona misses a chance of depicting immigration in a more accurate way.
We found wide and sympathetic coverage of the reasons for migrating and the situations the migrants face on their way to the U.S. This coverage actively challenged Trump’s rhetoric, creating a sense of pan-ethnic solidarity between the countries of the Northern Triangle and Mexico. However, due to the level of involvement and the power of the U.S. in the region, Trump remained one of the main actors driving the conversation about the migrant caravan.
Catalan regional press’ own idea of journalism, offers a different approach to this issue due to its history, neighborhood and commitment to the region. Through a frame analysis, three main frames gave a depiction of the immigrants different from the one the mainstream media use. The results show that this differentiated depiction still stereotypes immigrants while not granting them enough visibility even when there is no blaming or attack. In this sense, while accounting
for the differences, the neighborhood press of Barcelona misses a chance of depicting immigration in a more accurate way.