MEDIA IMPACT PROJECT
  • ABOUT
    • MISSION
    • OUR TEAM
    • WHAT WE DO
    • FELLOWS & PARTNERS
  • PROJECTS
    • AFRICA NARRATIVE
    • ACTION CAMPAIGNS
    • CHARITABLE GIVING ON TV
    • FILM DIPLOMACY
    • IDEOLOGY & ENTERTAINMENT
    • IMMIGRATION ON TV
    • JOURNALISM STUDIES >
      • VIRTUAL REALITY
  • PUBLICATIONS
    • Are You What You Watch?
    • Africa in the Media
    • CASE STUDIES
    • IMMIGRATION ON TV
    • METRICS GUIDES FOR JOURNALISTS
    • VIRTUAL REALITY
  • BLOG
  • NEWS & EVENTS
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
    • MISSION
    • OUR TEAM
    • WHAT WE DO
    • FELLOWS & PARTNERS
  • PROJECTS
    • AFRICA NARRATIVE
    • ACTION CAMPAIGNS
    • CHARITABLE GIVING ON TV
    • FILM DIPLOMACY
    • IDEOLOGY & ENTERTAINMENT
    • IMMIGRATION ON TV
    • JOURNALISM STUDIES >
      • VIRTUAL REALITY
  • PUBLICATIONS
    • Are You What You Watch?
    • Africa in the Media
    • CASE STUDIES
    • IMMIGRATION ON TV
    • METRICS GUIDES FOR JOURNALISTS
    • VIRTUAL REALITY
  • BLOG
  • NEWS & EVENTS
  • CONTACT

IMMIGRATION ON TV

Change the Narrative, Change the World

Picture
Our second study with Define American, Change the Narrative, Change the World, finds that TV shows with nuanced immigrant characters and immigration storylines can shift attitudes and inspire people to real-life action. Viewers who saw the immigrant storyline had more inclusive attitudes towards immigrants, greater comfort meeting undocumented people and opposition to criminalizing undocumented immigrants. They were also more likely to take certain actions, like speaking to a friend about immigration issues or attending an immigration-related community event.

Read the report.


Change the Narrative, Change the World in the News:
Variety. Immigrant Stories on TV are Predominantly Latinx and About Deportation (Study).
Los Angeles Times. These TV shows are changing the way we see immigrants, a new study finds
The Guardian. Immigrant representation on TV over-emphasizes criminality, study finds

Picture
IMMIGRATION NATION:
EXPLORING IMMIGRANT PORTRAYALS ON TELEVISION


In our initial study in collaboration with Define American, our research team conducted a media content analysis to answer two questions:
  1. How are immigrants and immigration issues depicted on entertainment television?
  2. How do these depictions compare with the reality of the immigrant experience?
The analysis examines the demographic, socio-economic, and social representations of immigrant characters depicted, as well as the context and use of any culturally- or politically-charged terms relating to immigration in 143 episodes of 47 television shows that aired in 2017 and 2018.

Read the report.
Read the key findings.

Picture
SUNDANCE 2020. Moving the Needle on Immigrant Stories.
At the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, Define American provided a preview into our second study of Ion immigration and television, Change the Narrative, Change the World, examining how immigrant representation on screen can shift the perception and behavior of audiences across the country. Panelists included journalist/filmmaker Jose Antonio Vargas along with filmmakers and talent from the 2020 Sundance films Farewell Amor and Blast Beat. Watch the conversation here.

Experts Explain Immigration TV Storylines

Picture
IMMIGRANTS AND TV
Director of Research Erica Rosenthal discusses our Change the Narrative study and explains why accurate representations of undocumented people on TV are so important to changing attitudes and behaviors around immigration issues. 

Watch the video.

Picture
REALITY AND COMMENTARY
Across all genres, immigration is one of this year's biggest trends in television — but are the storylines accurate? Adam Amel Rogers explains.

Watch the video.


Related
  • From the Sofa to the Streets: Igniting Social Action through Documentary Media
The Norman Lear Center's Media Impact Project researches how entertainment and news influence our thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, knowledge and actions. We work with researchers, the film and TV industry, nonprofits, and news organizations, and share our research with the public. We are part of the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.