'Illegal' Aliens? Media Outlets Say 'Undocumented' or 'Unauthorized'
Article CAIRCO note:
Media bias clearly demonstrated by Orwellian language
Article publisher:
News Busters
Article date:
19 February 2015
Article category:
National News
Medium
Article Body:
Although a Texas judge issuing an injunction against Obama’s “executive action” on illegal immigrants came late Monday, national newspapers all put that ruling on the front page on Wednesday. Some headlines buried the judge. USA Today has “Obama immigration plan blocked.” The Wall Street Journal ran with “Obama Dealt Setback on Immigration.” None of the headlines mentioned “illegal” immigrants.
USA Today’s entire nine-paragraph story avoided the “I-word,” using “undocumented immigrants” four times, and “migrants” once. To be fair, it surfaced at the very end, but not to describe immigrants: Judge Andrew “Hanen ruled that Homeland Securtiy took an illegal shortcut by failing to allow public comment on the new policies.”
The New York Times waited until deep in paragraph three, using “illegal” as it described what Judge Hanen wrote in his decision. The Washington Post was best among liberal newspapers by using “illegal” as the 15th word.
At National Public Radio, they were quite allergic to the word “illegal,” preferring instead to use “unauthorized immigrants.”...