Brookings Institution

The U.S. media have hindered effective policy making on immigration for decades, and their impact has been increasing in recent years as a result of an ongoing evolution in the media industry. Deeply ingrained practices in American journalism have produced a narrative that conditions the public to associate immigration with illegality, crisis, controversy and government failure. Meanwhile, new voices of advocacy on the media landscape have succeeded in mobilizing segments of the public in opposition to policy initiatives, sometimes by exaggerating the narrative of immigration told by traditional news organizations. These findings emerge from an examination of how the media have covered immigration going back to 1980 with a special focus on the extended policy debates in 2006 and 2007, which collapsed without producing any significant legislation.

The Brookings Institution is a private nonprofit organization devoted to independent research and innovative policy solutions. Celebrating its 90th anniversary in 2006, Brookings analyzes current and emerging issues and produces new ideas that matter - for the nation and the world. For policy-makers and the media, Brookings scholars provide the highest quality research, policy recommendations, and analysis on the full range of public policy issues. Research at the Brookings Institution is conducted to inform the public debate, not advance a political agenda. Our scholars are drawn from the United States and abroad - with experience in government and academia - and hold diverse points of view. Brookings' mission is to provide high quality analysis and recommendations for decision makers in the U.S. and abroad on the full range of policy challenges facing an increasingly interdependent world. Brookings research topics include: Business, Cities and Suburbs, Defense, Global Economics, U.S. Economics, Education, Environment and Energy, Governance, Global Politics, U.S. Politics, Science and Technology, and Social Policy. It includes several policy centers: Global Economy and Development Center, AEI-Brookings Joint Center for Regulatory Studies, Brown Center on Education Policy, Center for Children and Families, Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies, Center on Social and Economic Dynamics, Center on the United States and Europe, Saban Center for Middle East Policy, and Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center.