Truth, Incarceration, and Critical Media Literacy: Stories From One Immigrant Detention Center

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Three
  In Roundtable Session: Critical Perspectives on News Media Production, Education, and (Counter)Engagement (Table 11)

Abstract

Authors used framing analysis and critical context analysis to explore print news reports about one immigrant detention center, Stewart Detention Center (SDC), coding 180 news stories for geographic level of reporting, detention center tone, and detainee tone. Findings demonstrated how news stories shaped larger narratives about detainees and the detention system. Positive stories related to SDC focused on economic impact, while negative stories focused on human rights abuses. Positive stories about detainees focused on human interest stories, while negative stories focused on portrayals of detainees as criminals. This research highlights media responsibility for frames applied to immigration, detention, and detainees. Authors recommend an educational shift towards critical media literacy to foreground reporting about people within a system as key voices.

Authors

• Susan Anne Cridland-Hughes, Clemson University
  Presenting Author

• Stephanie M. Madison, Clemson University
  Presenting Author

• Mikel W. Cole, University of Houston
  Presenting Author