MEDIA ACTION ALERT: Write to Fox 9 News
Mn Immigrant Freedom Network
Dear Immigrant Rights Advocates,
Last night (Monday, February 5), Fox 9 News ran two stories
about immigration, the Minnesota National Guard members patrolling the border,
drugs and crime. To see the stories,
please visit:
http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=2285806&version=5&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.1.1
The stories were filled with derogatory comments made by the reporter such as "illegals blend unnoticed" and "illegals trying to cross." Overall, the stories are making the case that Mexico and Mexican immigration to Minnesota is tied to crime and drug dealing, exemplified by unproven and sensationalistic statements such as "in the secret underworld of Twin Cities drug trafficking, most roads lead south to Mexico" and "a hole in a chainlink fence is one of several ways for illegal immigrants to get themselves or drugs across the border." The story also lacked balance as all of the people interviewed represented the voice of the authorities.
It is stories like this one, which make
over-generalizations, make broad statements without citing credible sources,
and whimsically tie crime to immigrant communities that create more problems in
our society by fueling xenophobia and negative stereotypes of our communities. If
the story contained any real information
for folks to be more informed about, it was unfortunately overshadowed
by the
combat-style images, the negative stereotyping of immigrants as tied to
crime
and the lack of a balanced representation of the subject. Indeed,
the very "subject" of this report is still unclear to us as many
complex themes were whimsically tied together in a journalistically
unresponsible manner.
Please write to:
Jeff Baillon, lead Investigative/Consumer reporter for KMSP Fox 9, at jeff.b...@foxtv.com
and
Kim Kruger, Executive Producer for KMSP's Investigative Unit, at kim.k...@foxtv.com
Let them know why you felt their story lacked to inform viewers and ways they could have improved their coverage. Feel free to use any of our comments above to craft your email or letter. Please send a copy of your letter to freedom...@gmail.com, so we can keep track of how many comments they received.
We are interested in organizing a meeting to talk more with members of Fox 9 about this issue, if you would like to participate in this meeting, please email us.
La lucha sigue,
Alondra
MIFN Communications
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2500 University Avenue, Suite C8
St. Paul, MN 55114
Tel. 651.287.0660
Email. freedom...@gmail.com
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