In today's local and national news coverage, often many of the crime stories feature immigrants, leading us to believe that all immigrants are illegal and threats to society as we know it. This is a prime example of agenda setting and gatekeeping, which is why we set out to find the truth. In these two videos you'll see how FOX portrays criminals, and then how Jon Stewart debunks such accusations.
FOX presents a story about a man who has been accused
of multiple crimes including dealing drugs from the back of his van, all of
which he got away with, and was recorded to have 10 aliases and multiple fake
licenses. Then they asked if that was typical of most cases? FOX answered yes
it is, in fact, a typical case for illegal immigrants.
"The records show that during that period, 41,929 people were identified through Secure Communities for deportation, as so-called 'removals and returns.'
Those people were divided into four categories based on criminal record.
A total of 9,667 -- about 23 percent -- were classified as Level 1 offenders: those convicted of 'aggravated felonies such as murder, rape or sexual abuse of a minor.'
Another 16,581-- about 40 percent -- were labeled as Level 2 offenders: those convicted of any felony, or three or more misdemeanors.
A total of 4,621 -- about 11 percent -- were Level 3 offenders: those convicted of crimes punishable by less than one year in prison, typically misdemeanors.
And 11,060 people-- about 26 percent -- had no criminal record at all.
So 37 percent of the immigrants deported were either non-criminals or had been convicted of minor crimes," according to PolitiFact's Truth-O-Meter.
SMELL SCALE: 3
The numbers on PolitiFact show a mixed result. We'll rule FOX's claim half truth; FOX has framed this story to make illegal immigrants the enemy, to make us believe that the majority of illegal immigrants are putting us in danger and getting away with it, when that's not completely the case.
SMELL SCALE: 3
The numbers on PolitiFact show a mixed result. We'll rule FOX's claim half truth; FOX has framed this story to make illegal immigrants the enemy, to make us believe that the majority of illegal immigrants are putting us in danger and getting away with it, when that's not completely the case.
Senator John McCain said that he had evidence that immigrants may have started some of the fires in Arizona near the border.
Stewart succeeds in making McCain look like the fool for accusing illegal immigrants of crimes they may not have committed. There is no truth to McCain's claims, and Stewart is exposing the truthiness in his statement.
While watching this our selective retention comes into gear as we see McCain blaming immigrants of crime. Some people, depending on their background, and upbringing start to see them as demons and crazy crack heads creating havoc along the border. When in reality on PolitiFact it says that in comparison there is more crime in Ohio's most populated cities than there are in states along the border, including Arizona.
"Before tarnishing the image of border communities that remain among the safest places to live in America... the fact remains that the six largest cities in Ohio all have higher rates of violence and crime than every major city along the U.S.-Mexico border."
SMELL SCALE: 4
Jon Stewart did point out the truth among McCain's accusations and exposed the actuality of the situation.
The two videos in comparison both use framing to emphasize certain points in order to give a certain perception. FOX wanted to give people the perception that immigrants are a danger to our security and should be deported ASAP before they can cause more damage and get away with it.
The Daily Show gave the perception that McCain was crazy for accusing immigrants of crime along the border. From all the fact checking done, it seems Jon Stewart is more on the truthful path, because crime committed by illegal immigrants isn't as big of a deal as we once thought.
