Courtesy of Jon S. from NS Newsflash (Flickr)
Have you ever wondered how information from the news affects your beliefs? Trusting a news source can be difficult for any individual. Some news stations contain bias by default and will only show topics in either positive or negative light, leading to strong support or opposition of a certain position. A variety of news sources are available from papers to television and many different news sources are delivered in languages other than English. For example, the distinction between news sources is vast in New York as newspaper languages range from Arabic and Bangladeshi to Panjabi and Urdu. News is also readily available to Spanish speakers as they are a growing force in the U.S. population. In fact, the number of U.S. composed Spanish newspapers and radio stations nears 700. (Abrajano, Simran, 2).
Information from news sources in languages other than English may differ significantly. According to Marisa Abrajano and Simran Singh, authors of The Case of Latinos and Immigration reform, Spanish news sources discuss immigration on a more positive note than regular American News. The authors note that, “Latinos who only use Spanish- language news [may have] a greater likely-hood of possessing pro immigrant sentiments than do Latinos who only use English language news” (Abrajano, Simran, 2). As a result, English speakers are prone to negative thought about immigration policies and more likely to view immigration reform as unnecessary.
Emphasis on false immigration information can lead to unfavorable opinions towards Latino immigrants and ultimately the prevention of policies that may help them. It can also lead to targeting of Latinos for voting elections. For example, Spanish and English news delivered in 2004 differed substantially when George W. Bush developed his guest worker proposal. English stations aired less lengthy programs than Spanish stations. The difference in programing shows that the Bush administration wanted to appeal to Latino voters, which is indicative of the manipulative power of media on the current immigration controversy. News, therefore, is a force that directs certain facts based on language. If the media can direct certain information to some and not others through language, what does this mean in terms of treatment of marginalized people? It may be that misleading messages determine many of our social perceptions and interactions with others.
Work Cited:
NYCdata.Baruch College. New York, 2013. Web. 5 July. 2013
Abrajano, Marisa and Singh, Simran. Examining the Link between Issue Attitudes and News Source: The Case of Latinos and Immigration Reform
Political Behavior , Vol. 31, No. 1 (Mar., 2009), pp. 1-30
Published by: Springer Article Stable URL: http://0-www.jstor.org.oasys.lib.oxy.edu/stable/40213334
Immigration Talk 
Wow, once you really think about the repercussions that are possible from such a small thing as how long a news report is, it’s scary to think what kind of longer term effects from this are currently in existence that we haven’t even noticed. 1984 anyone?
I find your analysis of how discourse affects political opinions incredibly interesting. Although, you apply this analysis mostly to the context to the 2004 Presidential election. I wonder how these factors might shape the coming election in 2016, an election most politicians believe Hispanic immigrants will play a vital role in. Additionally, how do these Spanish news sources affect other aspects of politics? Do they liberalize Hispanic voters or push them to conservative ideology? Perhaps your next article could elaborate on these elements.
This reminds me of the propaganda, properly referred to as Yellow journalism, during the Spanish-American War. Although the media within that time period was more significant because of the need for war propaganda to gather support for American actions in the war, the subtle forms of yellow journalism you are alluding to can possibly serve similar motives.