The Face of Immigration: Photographic Portrayals of Immigrants in News Photographs

Abstract

Immigration is a very polarizing issue in American politics, and many individuals develop opinions on the topic based, not on first-hand experience, but on news media coverage. Among the most powerful forms of news content are photographs and images. This study analyzes immigration-related news photography and also considers immigrant perspectives regarding news photography. Findings suggest that recent photographs increasingly depict immigrants and immigration positively, but that certain problematic themes like otherness and securitization remain common.

Keywords:

• Immigration
• photography
• news
• media
• journalism
• photojournalism

Disclosure statement

The author has no financial interest or benefit that has arisen from the direct applications of this research.