Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

6-2021

Document Type

Capstone Project

Degree Name

M.A.

Program

International Migration Studies

Advisor

Jamie Longazel

Subject Categories

Migration Studies

Keywords

Refugees, Media Analysis, Frames, Texas

Abstract

This research uses media analysis to ask how refugees in Amarillo, Texas, are portrayed in the Amarillo Globe-News from 2002 until January 2021. Amarillo, Texas is a small, conservative city with a long history of refugee resettlement. Researching one town, over an extended period, tells a rich story of how refugees are depicted in the local media. This research is important because while the United States takes in refugees on a national level, the local level is where they settle and become long-term members of a community. It shares what a community resettling refugees has to say about them. In this analysis, I identify four frames that the Globe-News uses for refugee coverage — resource adaptations, refugee stories, humanitarian, and community — as well as eleven subframes. I find that the Amarillo Globe-News portrays refugees in a multitude of ways: it highlights success stories, integration woes, human rights battles, charity, and more. Showing that local coverage in Amarillo, Texas, is complex and differs from the minimal ways that refugees are depicted in national media.

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