Towards the end of 2018, mainstream media focused on the migrant caravans that started forming in Central America, making their way to the United States. The New York Times’ Annie Correal and Megan Specia’s article “The Migrant Caravan: What to Know About the Thousands Traveling North,” provided readers with basic information about the caravan and the purpose of the group. The article included the migrants’ living situations and their miles long trek every day.
Correal and Specia used broad statements that tried to avoid any bias against the caravan, however, the content of the article overall incited sympathy for the refugees and asylum seekers. They used two estimates from Mexican officials and Unicef about the number of people part of the caravan ranging between 3,000 to 7,000 with over 2,000 of which are children. They provided the reason for leaving their home countries citing Hondurans left due to “high unemployment, gang violence, and a recent drought” (Correa & Specia).
In one section, they added the aid the migrants received and the locals’ reactions towards the migrants as they made their way to their destinations. In one city, “The local government set up speakers and held rallies where mariachi bands played, a clown performed, and pastors offered prayers” (Correa & Specia). The section however, neglected to include information about those opposed to the caravan as they traveled through Mexico.
The article was biased towards immigration by only focusing on the migrants and their treacherous journey across Central America. The article ended with criticism of how the Trump Administration handled the caravan stating, “Even if the entire group reaches the border, its numbers represent a fraction of the migrants who arrive at the border each year” (Correa & Specia). The entire article was meant to invoke sympathy towards the migrants and criticism towards the methods used to handle the situation.
Correal, Annie, and Megan Specia. “The Migrant Caravan: What to Know About the Thousands Traveling North.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 26 Oct. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/10/26/world/americas/what-is-migrant-caravan-facts-history.html.