Thread: How to write a pro illegal alien newspaper sob story

The Style Guide To Writing A Sensitive Immigrant Story

Why is the media so utterly useless on immigration? Brenda Walker has uncovered an interesting Publisher’s Memo.

The following guide is designed for you young and/or inexperienced writers on how to fashion an article about immigration that is acceptable to modern journalistic standards of diversity and multicultural values.

Management wishes that the newsroom speak in one voice about newcomers in America and how they contribute to our marvelous diversity which only adds to our strength. We have included examples to make it perfectly clear the tone we want. Standard phrases that may be used often are indicated within quotes.

This is not rocket science, people! Follow the approved boilerplate and you will do very well.

Rather than do factual articles that would inform (and possibly alarm) readers about exploding population growth and rapidly changing ethnicity, this paper stays above any divisive material that might be seen as anti-immigrant.

Giving ammunition to those who don't like the demographic transformation of America does not fit the business plan here at the PC Press.

While facts may be occasionally appropriate as background color, this newspaper is looking for human interest—that means drama, characters and emotions in play. Bring out the David and Goliath angle, particularly the hard-working immigrant up against the machinery of the Uncaring State.

Is the person illegal in some sort of dry, lawbook sense? Don't dwell on that insignificant detail, and be sure to use the term "undocumented" at all times. We are pro-immigrant at this paper and don't want anyone to forget it, particularly the new multicultural readers we are still trying to attract.

In writing about the "plight" of immigrants, it is important to choose your subject well. Find a personable immigrant family, preferably with a winsome child ("Rolando... with almond eyes and a mop of brown hair... one of the unintended victims of Sept. 11"). Use tragic anecdotes about the evil system crushing poor people "in search of a better life." Use plenty of quotes, particularly complaints about how unfairly they are treated by an America grown cold and heartless toward the millions streaming through its borders.

This slant makes the paper appear concerned with social justice issues. Emphasize the struggle and frustration. When there is a success, don't forget those "tears of joy." Imagine you are doing a promo for Save the Children.

One Seattle story began with a vignette of an immigrant mom staying home from work with sick kids and struck just the right note as it described how the little moppets "fought off fevers and struggled to keep down cups of chicken soup." Chicken soup! They weren't even Jewish! Come to think of it, what could be more universal than chicken soup? We all love chicken soup when we are sick.

Details about the kiddies transitioning in school—learning a few phrases of English, playing soccer, teaching bits of their language to new American friends—are another good element. Of course they want to become Americans, more or less, although as part of a multicultural salad with separate crunchy units rather than into an old-fashioned retro melting pot. (One insightful memo from the Publisher refers to assimilation as 'meltdown'—a little humor from the Big Guy!) Today's young people will be citizens of the world, so our paper should underline the new globalist sensibilities.

Adherence to the nation-state model is not how this company envisions the future.

Another topic that is always good for recycling is the increasing influence of Hispanic voters. If you have a penchant for Census figures and other numerics, an explanation of the expanding Latino voting bloc and the scramble of politicians for their votes is good. The fact that few new Hispanic citizens are interested in bothering to vote is irrelevant.

September 11 brought new challenges to the sensitive reporter. Above all, stories should not inspire anti-Muslim hatred, since it would be judgmental to note that Arabs living in America have not been enthusiastic in their denunciations of terrorism. They are probably just shy, and we shouldn't inspect their priorities in loyalty too closely. One approach would be to find an Arab still incarcerated without any civil rights and then probe victimhood psychology in a unique jailhouse setting.

Don't burden readers with annoying facts about how illegal aliens (remember to call them "the undocumented") might use up scarce resources like education and healthcare that old-fashioned nationalists feel should be used for America's own disadvantaged. Definitely employ remarks from the subjects about how they "work hard" and "pay taxes," but don't get into minutia about how those taxes don't completely cover the benefits received. It's too distracting from the emotional flow.

A word of warning: we don't want to see any controversial pieces about immigrants and crime. Even if immigrants do have a higher rate of crime than Americans, presumably they are just having a hard time adjusting to a new culture. It would be mean-spirited to mention the high rates of incarceration and would play into the hands of right-wing extremists who believe laws should be enforced. Let's just not go there.

Recently some of our editors have received complaints that our paper is ignoring unpleasant effects that so many millions of immigrants are having on our own local people. Management feels that such concerns are disturbingly selfish, what with many low-skilled jobs going undone. (Even with millions of immigrant workers, it is still hard to find a decent gardener or maid for under $5 per hour!) Furthermore, these are "jobs that Americans don't want." Just because they may pay considerably less than an American can live on is no excuse. Blue-collar Americans should just cozy up in their housing arrangements to save money if they really want to work.

People simply have to accommodate progress to get along.

Above all, this paper emphasizes that we are a "nation of immigrants" and we expect our news stories to reflect that ideology, regardless of facts.

Above all, this paper emphasizes that we are a "nation of immigrants" and we expect our news stories to reflect that ideology, regardless of facts.

Lies are 'good'.

Don't burden readers with annoying facts about how illegal aliens (remember to call them "the undocumented") might use up scarce resources like education and healthcare that old-fashioned nationalists feel should be used for America's own disadvantaged. Definitely employ remarks from the subjects about how they "work hard" and "pay taxes," but don't get into minutia about how those taxes don't completely cover the benefits received. It's too distracting from the emotional flow.

How many times have we read over and over the above bundle of BUll thrust on us by the media?

Thanks Brenda for compiling a thorough article on the techniques that much of the Media uses to brainwash the public with falsehoods and propaganda.

An outstanding article. I used parts of it in my letter to the North County Times, but I will really be surprised if they print it.

LOL :P

R/ Skip

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/12 ... _23_06.txt

Reminds of Castro's Cuba. Censorship of the media. I used to see those sob stories in Miami all the time but there have been alot less lately. Maybe the Tancredo comments and incident has kept them quiet for awhile. I know in the Broward County paper the Sun-Sentinel, there was an article about a so called poor Brazilian family that decided to stay after their visa ran out. I posted the article when it was published. This reporter has written one toned down article about illegals and has since stopped. The amount of calls she recieved by American residents and citizens complaining was unbelievable. She told me that didn't expect to get all those calls and it was obvious by her tone of voice that she was angry. I would have loved to have been able to hear what the others had to say.

I had to change it several times before they would post it.

How to Write a Sensitive Immigrant Story wrote on December 26, 2006 2:20 PM:"Rather than do factual articles that would inform (and possibly alarm) readers about exploding population growth and rapidly changing ethnicity, the media should stay above any divisive material that might be seen as anti-immigrant. Giving ammunition to those who don't like the demographic transformation of America does not fit the business plan at the Liberal Press. While facts may be occasionally appropriate as background color, the liberal media is looking for human interest—that means drama, characters and emotions in play. Bring out the David and Goliath angle, particularly the hard-working immigrant up against the machinery of the Uncaring State. Is the person illegal in some sort of dry, lawbook sense? Don't dwell on that insignificant detail, and be sure to use the term "undocumented" at all times. The liberal media is pro-immigrant and they don't want anyone to forget it, particularly the new multicultural readers that they are still trying to attract. In writing about the "plight" of immigrants, it is important to choose your subject well. Find a personable immigrant family, preferably with a winsome child ("Rolando... with almond eyes and a mop of brown hair... one of the unintended victims of Sept. 11"). Use tragic anecdotes about the evil system crushing poor people "in search of a better life." Use plenty of quotes, particularly complaints about how unfairly they are treated by an America grown cold and heartless toward the millions streaming through its borders. This slant makes the liberal media appear concerned with social justice issues. Emphasize the struggle and frustration. When there is a success, don't forget those "tears of joy." Imagine you are doing a promo for Save the Children. R/ Skip "

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/12 ... _23_06.txt

Tom Brokow used all the same techniques that newspaper reporters use to try to portray the Illegal Alien in a soft light.......Peddle it elsewhere Tom we are not buying.........

Thanks for posting that article reptile, most excellent and obviously true.

And good for you, skip, for getting that much in the NCT, very surprised they printed it in this area.

We no longer have the reporters of the past. This is really sad as they used to find stories and do research on it and when printed it gave the people a good overall look at the situation. That is longer the case. Now we get sob stories about everything and anything. Today there is a front page story in the Miami Herald about how long it takes to get a green card for those here legally. Isn't it amazing that the article starts off with a Columbian woman who is waiting for her greencard. Another Hispanic sob story at first and then goes to briefly mention a German and an Israeli and how a Canadian businessman has to wait one more year to get his greencard. Then it goes back to Hispanics. The media loves to say that Miami has cultural diversity but yet it really means diverse Hispanic culture i.e Cubans, Argentinians, Columbians, Mexicans, etc.