WELL A NEW STUDY FINDS THAT
IMMIGRANTS ARE TOO OFTEN
PORTRAYED AS CRIMINALS ON
AMERICAN TELEVISION SHOWS LIKE
ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK.
MADAM SECRETARY AND
THE CONNERS TOOK ON IMMIGRANT
DRIVEN STORYLINES BUT
APPARENTLY FELL SHORT IN THEIR
DEPICTIONS OF THESE CHARACTERS,
22% OF IMMIGRANT CHARACTERS
ON TV WERE ASSOCIATED WITH
CRIMINALITY DOWN FROM 34% IN
2018, BUT STILL NOT IN LINE
WITH ME REAL
WORLD NUMBERS FOR MORE ON THIS
WE'RE JOINED BY ERICA
ROSENTHAL DIRECTOR RESEARCH AT
USC'S NORMAN LEAR CENTER ERIC A
REALLY GREAT TO HAVE YOU ON AND
WHAT WERE SOME OF THE
COMMON TROPE AND TRIBUNE GOOD
TO IMMIGRANTS AMONG THE
CHARACTERS THAT WERE
EXAMINED SURE.
>> WE SAW A SUBSTANTIAL
PROPORTION OF IMMIGRANTS
ASSOCIATED WITH CRIMINALITY IT
DID DECREASE FROM THE PREVIOUS
YEAR
THAT WE ANALYZE DOWN FROM 34%
TO 22%. BUT WE SEE STILL SAW A
LARGE NUMBER OF IMMIGRANTS
ASSOCIATED WITH CRIME AND 11%
OF IMMIGRANTS WERE INCARCERATED
AND THAT DOESN'T EVEN INCLUDE
IMMIGRANT RELATED DETENTION
WHICH WE ACTUALLY
TRACKED SEPARATELY AND RESEARCH
FROM THE CATO INSTITUTE AND
OTHER SHOWS THAT BOTH
DOCUMENTED AND UNDOCUMENTED
IMMIGRANTS COMMIT FAR LESS
CRIME THAN NATIVE BORN
AMERICANS.
FASCINATING BUT DID YOU GUYS
TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION AT ALL
JUST.
>> THE CONTENT OR THE TYPE OF
CONTENT ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK
FOR EXAMPLE IS THE SHOW
IN A PRISON SO AS SOON AS HE
DID THAT FACTOR IN AT ALL IN
TERMS OF HOW YOU CAME UP WITH
SOME OF YOUR NUMBERS.
>> SURE SO WE OVER. ALMOST A
100 TV SHOWS. THAT INCLUDED A
129 IMMIGRANT CHARACTERS SO
THAT
INCLUDED SUBSTANTIAL IMMIGRANT
STORY LINES LIKE THE ONE ON
ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK, BUT IT
ALSO INCLUDED A LOT OF
OTHER CHARACTERS. LONGSTANDING
NETWORK CHARACTERS
LIKE GLORIA.
>> ON MODERN FAMILY AND RAJ ON
THE BIG DAY BIG
BANG THEORY.
>> AS WELL AS CHARACTERS ON
ROMNEY FRESH OFF
THE BOAT. THE PARENTS AND SHOWS
THAT ARE MORE ABOUT THE
EXPERIENCE IS A FIRST
GENERATION AMERICANS THAT WE
DID SEE. STORY LINES LIKE
ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK ABOUT
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN
DETENTION OR NAVIGATING THE
IMMIGRATION SYSTEM.
>> YOU MENTION IT DIDN'T APPEAR
AS THOUGH THINGS ARE TRENDING
IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION IS THAT
ACCURATE AT LEAST IN TERMS OF
HIS HISPANIC REPRESENTATION.
>> HISPANIC REPRESENTATION
REMAINED ABOUT THE SAME FROM
THE PREVIOUS YEAR AND IT TRACKS
PRETTY CLOSELY WITH REALITY
ABOUT 50% OF IMMIGRANTS ARE
HISPANIC
OR LATINO. HOWEVER WE DID FIND
A DISPROPORTIONATE
FOCUS ON ON UNDOCUMENTED
IMMIGRANTS ALMOST 2 THIRDS OF
ALL OF IMMIGRANT CHARACTERS WE
LOOKED AT WHERE UNDOCUMENTED OR
ASYLUM. SEEKERS
WHICH WAS AN INCREASE FROM THE
PREVIOUS SEASON IN REALITY ONLY
ABOUT A QUARTER OF IMMIGRANTS
ARE UNAUTHORIZED AND THIS THIS
DISPROPORTIONATE FOCUS ISN'T IN
AND OF ITSELF A BAD THING MANY
OF THESE STORIES REALLY FOCUSED
HIGH-PROFILE REAL
LIFE EVENTS NEAR THE U.S.
BORDER, INCLUDING IMMIGRATION
DETENTION FAMILY SEPARATION AND
ICE RAIDS BUT
WHEN THE MAJORITY OF IMMIGRANTS
WE SEE ON TV ARE UNDOCUMENTED
IT RACES EXPERIENCES ABOUT THE
DIVERSE RANGE OF IMMIGRANT
COMMUNITIES.
>> IS AND
PACIFIC.
>> ISLANDERS ARE STILL
UNDERREPRESENTED IN THE MEDIA.
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO CHANGE
THAT PUBLIC PRESSURE.
YOU IT'S REALLY
TELLING MORE AUTHENTIC STORIES
BY HIRING MORE IMMIGRANTS AS
WRITERS AND CONSULTING WITH
IMMIGRANT REALLY SEEKING OUT
OPPORTUNITIES TO 2 TELL
COMPELLING STORIES
ABOUT THESE AND UNDER
REPRESENTED IMMIGRANT
COMMUNITIES AND AND BROADENING
IMMIGRATION CONTENT BEYOND
U.S. MEXICO, BORDER ISSUES,
INCLUDING STORIES FACED BY THE
CHALLENGES AUTHORIZE
IMMIGRANTS, A LARGE PERCENTAGE
OF WHOM ARE ASIAN PACIFIC
ISLANDERS IN REALITY IT INTO
SUFFOLK ISLANDERS FOR ABOUT
A QUARTER OF ALL US IMMIGRANTS
AND WE SAW THE SOUTHERN
DEPICTED MUCH LESS FREQUENTLY
THAN THAT. AND WHAT ABOUT
REPRESENTATION WHEN IT COMES TO
CHARACTERS IN THE LGBTQ
COMMUNITY.
WE
SAW A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF
CHARACTERS IN THE LGBTQ
COMMUNITY, HOWEVER WE DIDN'T
SEE ANY TRANSGENDER
IMMIGRANTS THEY'RE LARGELY
INVISIBLE. SO WE DIDN'T SEE
THEM IN ANY EITHER YEAR OF OUR
ANALYSIS IN
REALITY THEY THEY WIDESPREAD
PERSECUTION WITHIN THE
IMMIGRATION SYSTEM SO WHAT IT
IS THE
V A THE NET RESULT OF THIS SO
WHY IS THIS SO HAS COUNTRY
RIGHT
NOW IS.
>> WHERE IN THE MIDDLE OF
SEEING SOCIAL CHANGE AND
CULTURAL CHANGE. WHY IS
REPRESENTATION IN MEDIA SO SO
IMPORTANT.
>> WHEN MUCH OF WHAT WE SEE ON
TV IS PORTRAYING IMMIGRANTS AS
CRIMINALS ARE TO BE FEARED IT
REALLY BECOMES SO MUCH EASIER
FOR FOR PEOPLE TO BELIEVE FALSE
CLAIMS AND
DIVISIVE RIGHT. BUT WHEN THESE
POPULAR TV SHOWS FEATURE.
NUANCED AND AUTHENTIC STORIES
ABOUT THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE
THIS CAN ACTUALLY GO
A LONG WAY TOWARD BREAKING DOWN
PREJUDICE AND THAT'S WHAT WE'VE
ACTUALLY FOUND IN THE CASE OF