Trump Immigration Policy from Fox News and The Washington Post
In two recent articles regarding the policies by the Trump Administration on immigration policy, it was very clear, through the diction and style of writing, as well as the evidence used to create an argument, that the two news sources had a very one-sided view of the current situation. The news sources, Fox News and The Washington Post, took on Trump’s deportation orders of Central Americans setting off on the dangerous journey to immigrate into the United States. For me, reading these two articles simultaneously was actually an eye-opening experience, allowing me to realize how biased news sources today are, and how we cannot simply trust every news article that we read or every study conducted and put into news articles to “back up” one’s argument. In addition, the language used between the two articles was vastly different, with the Fox News article author actually stating that Trump’s immigration policies can “truly make America great again,” which is an extremely biased statement that caused me to seriously doubt the credibility of this author’s article on such a controversial issue.
The Fox News article’s opinions, clearly pro-Trump and pro-immigration policies, can be seen with the specific diction David Bossie uses throughout the article. From the very start of the article, Bossie states that it is “imperative” that we keep “America safe and strong,” stating that it is “clear to me” that we must fix our “broken immigration system.” Right from the start, not only does Bossie establish himself as a writer without credible ethos, but presents statements that are so general, one-sided, and connoted in a way that strongly supports Trump. By saying, it’s “clear to me,” Bossie makes it hard for us as readers to truly believe his opinions and accept his argument when we bases his components of his argument based off his own opinions. In the next paragraph, Bossie states that “I have been inspired” by Trump’s “courageous efforts” to end the “flood” of “illegal immigration, drugs, and human trafficking entering our country.” I actually found this statement to be rather humorous, since it was such a selective, incomplete/one-sided, and extreme paragraph regarding Trump’s policies. The positively-connoted diction of “courageous” and calling the wall a “big beautiful door,” presents an heavily unfair bias, while providing very negatively-charged words and phrases, such as “flood” and solely presenting the negative effects of letting illegal immigrants into our country. By calling Trump’s immigration as “imperative” to make America “truly great again,” Bossie is almost superficially writing an article, merely taking Trump’s views and “spitting” these words and opinions/reasons behind his policies into this poorly-constructed article.
On the other hand, the Washington Post provides a viewpoint almost opposite to the opinion presented by David Bossie, filled with diction with a specific connotation that allows the reader to see the author’s take on this controversial issue. In the title alone, the Post calls the immigration policies and recent changes as “punitive policy,” later described in contrast to “pragmatic policy.” Punitive is a very negatively-connoted word, a word that means intending to inflict some kind of punishment, rather than being practical and effective policy for our country. Rather than presenting facts, statistics, or studies--objective information--the Post provides a very opinionated piece, focused on the negative aspects of the policies, without providing a wholesome, factual-based, and multifaceted argument with multiple perspectives. For example, the Post calls the immigration pronouncements as “great sound bite” but not, in any way, resolving this “bona fide crisis.” Essentially, differing greatly from the Fox News article, the Post sees his policies as impractical and ineffective towards truly helping our country, while Bossie states that his policies are “imperative” towards making America “truly great again.” Reading these two articles centered around the same issue was an eye-opener for me on realizing how biased our news sources are, and how even a simple word with a strong connotation can greatly affect the way us as readers comprehend the argument being presented.
Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/william-barrs-immigration-order-is-the-latest-example-of-trumps-punitive-policy/2019/04/21/1e1d9dc8-6149-11e9-9412-daf3d2e67c6d_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.7d3297d6f297
Fox News: https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/david-bossie-an-america-first-immigration-policy-looks-like-this
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