Day Without Immigrants Bias Blog
http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/16/us/day-without-immigrants-vignettes/
http://hotair.com/archives/2017/02/19/the-day-without-immigrants-became-a-teachable-moment/
On Thursday February 16, 2017, thousands of immigrants nationwide refused to attend work and spend money during the “Day Without Immigrants” in an effort to prove they they are a vital part of the economy, which was especially directed towards the Trump Administration in light of recent events. While both CNN and Hot Air provided coverage to this event, CNN’s stance tried to prove why immigrants are vital to society and showcased various immigrants perspectives on the issue, while Hot Air criticised immigrants for taking the day off and backed up businesses opinions for firing the employees.
To begin, Hot Air’s headline reads “The “Day Without Immigrants” Became a Teachable Moment.” What is the teachable moment they are referring to? That not showing up to work comes with consequences, like being fired from your job. The article begins with a story about 20 employees who were a part of Bradley Coatings Inc. in Tennessee who didn’t show up for work last minute. The article says the company responded in “pretty much a way you would probably expect” and were fired. This is biased because it suggests that them being fired was completely expected and predictable, and suggests that was the immigrants were doing was wrong. The article continues to defend the company, using diction such as “Is anyone surprised?”, describing the business as a “highly competitive market with a tight schedule to keep,” describing how the employer offered a fair warning to employees, and called the day a “misleading media event.” Not only is this portraying the company in a positive light and as more important than a frivolous movement, but they are straight up criticizing the employee’s actions, offering no examples of reason or justice behind them. Also, by stacking this story first in the article, it makes the biggest impact and the readers are left with the slandering opinions from the incident. The next person to speak is Mickey White, who says “This is reality. If you don’t show up to work you can get fired. Actions have consequences. Consider this a “teachable moment,” and he continues to defend the busy companies who can’t afford people refusing to come to work. By showing this perspective only, they are completely biased in their views and serve as a gatekeeper to only this information. They are missing the perspectives from the immigrants themselves, and only show one point of view as a gatekeeper.
On the other hand, the CNN headline reads “Nationwide ‘Day Without Immigrants’ shuts down businesses,” which is mostly neutral. However, the subheadlines to each story are mostly biased, for example “Restaurants could be devastated without immigrants.” Each story is a positive way the immigrant employees have made an impact, whether on a small or large scale. For instance, the first person who speaks is Matt Carr, owner of the Little Fox restaurant in Washington, D.C., who says “Immigrants are the backbone of this country and the heart and soul of the service industry,” he said. “Without them, our small businesses would crumble. They are also part of our family here at Little Red Fox, and I, too, am worried about their future under this administration.” This is completely biased because it shows how the restaurant owner needs the employees to survive, and it is stacked first in the story so it makes a bigger impact. Throughout the rest of the story, diction is used in a way that shows all of the stories in a positive light. They do not showcase any stories where the employers respond negatively or are presented in a way that does not make you sympathize with the immigrant in the story. An example of this is Sanjuana Gonzalez, a migrant worker who put herself through community college and is participating in the day. She is viewed as hardworking and strong. By only showcasing positive stories, they are being a gatekeeper for only this and are excluding more negative reactions and other points of view.
All in all, both stories were completely biased one way or another. I agreed with the movement and CNN’s side of the story, however I could see where Hot Air was coming from at the same time. I think this information could be detrimental to the readers if they only read one perspective. The bigger influence these stories could make is impacting people’s views on Trump’s campaign in general, since his views are so one sided towards immigrants. Although it sparks controversy, movements like these could also be a very real stepping stone for progressive change in America when it comes to policies like these. I think it is important to keep all of the information in mind so we can be a better and more well-informed society towards such controversial issues.
