Date of Award
2016
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Sociology
Abstract
Are the portrayals of Haitian immigrants in an African-American owned newspaper, different from their portrayal in a white owned newspaper? In this paper I examine newspaper articles covering Haitian immigrants and refugees. The articles selected were published in 2004 and sampled from the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Defender. Although the journals have distinctive goals and market reach, there were similarities in their portrayal of Haitian immigrants. Both journals referred to Haitian immigrants as victims of Haiti’s failed democracy. However, each journal advertised the reception of this migrant group differently. The African American owned newspaper advertised inclusion, while the white-owned news paper presented Haitian immigrants as a financial threat. I argue that this difference in portrayal suggests not only that immigrants are subject to negative representation from both white and black-owned newspapers, but that the reluctance to help immigrants is more than an anti-immigrant attitude; it may be symptomatic of a racial bias towards immigrants of color.
Recommended Citation
Jean-Baptiste, Stephanie, "Haitian Representation in the Media: A Comparative Analysis between an African American Owned Newspaper and a Mainstream Newspaper" (2016). Master's Theses. 3346.
https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_theses/3346
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2016 Stephanie Jean-Baptiste
