Mediating the migrant experience: Views on media from people who support migrants in Mexico

Abstract

This study investigates the ways in which migrants are inaccurately constructed and represented in U.S. and Mexican mainstream media and identifies changes that could be made to better represent the migrant journey. This study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, thus semi-structured, qualitative interviews were conducted virtually with people in Mexico who assist and advocate for migrants on a daily basis, including shelter workers, psychologists, lawyers, scholars, and activists. Results indicate that the narratives of migrants constructed and represented by the media differs among geographical locations and accuracy of such narratives are dependent on the media source. Most importantly, findings offer a total of six suggestions that can be implemented to improve the accuracy the of media framing of migrants. In sum, this study offers an intimate and in-depth insight into migration, including the trauma, violence and discrimination migrants endure. Keywords: Migrant journey, migration, immigration, framing theory, media narratives, media representation, migrant shelters, media accuracy, dehumanization, fragmentation, othering, contextualization; Mexico