ABSTRACT

Contrary to empirical evidence, immigration is seen as increasing rates of crime among the public. However, most people draw from secondary sources—including local news media—to form such opinions. We examine the contextual factors impacting whether and how local media describe the immigration–crime nexus. Using data constructed from content analysis of over 3,800 news articles, we find that the likelihood of local media providing coverage of immigration and crime varies as a function of the violent crime rate, minority population size and growth, and religious and political conservatism. Additionally, news “frames” depend on contextual factors too: Articles in more affluent communities with growing minority populations link immigration to higher rates of crime but are less likely to discuss the protective effects of immigration or immigrant refugees.

摘要

与经验证据相反，移民被视为公众犯罪率的增加。然而，大多数人从二手来源（包括当地新闻媒体）中汲取灵感来形成这样的观点。我们研究了影响当地媒体是否以及如何描述移民与犯罪关系的背景因素。使用从 3,800 多篇新闻文章的内容分析中构建的数据，我们发现当地媒体提供移民和犯罪报道的可能性随着暴力犯罪率、少数民族人口规模和增长以及宗教和政治保守主义而变化。此外，新闻“框架”也取决于上下文因素：