Book Review: Shaping Immigration News: A French-American Comparison, by Rodney Benson

Abstract

Shaping Immigration News: A French-American Comparison. Rodney Benson. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2013. 281 pp. $121.74 hbk.Immigration is an important aspect of society both in United States and in France, but it has always been a sensitive issue especially depending on factors such as political leadership and health of country's economy. Rodney Benson's book, Shaping Immigration News: A French-American Comparison, is based on extensive cross-cultural analysis of immigration coverage in leading newspapers and television channels of United States and France from 1970s-2006; in-depth interviews with journalists, scholars, political officials, immigration activists; as well as information from various relevant reports. It is a serious attempt to look beyond pro- and anti-immigration coverage. The author states that the test for journalism is how well it helps citizens and policymakers understand causes and consequences of immigration, as well as backlash against it. He emphasizes that focusing on civic-cultural issues rather than commercial or political ones results in stories that shed a better light on immigrant issues.The book provides many insights on similarities and differences in news coverage in United States and France in general as well as immigration news coverage in two countries based on structural changes in field. The author states many reasons for comparing these two countries. For one thing, they are both in top five migrant-receiving countries in world and during three decades examined in this book, immigrant population has increased in both countries, reaching 10% in France and nearly 13% in United States in 2006.Journalists in both countries are not ethnically diverse and belong to a similar social class and educational background, and media audiences tend to be elitist in both France and United States. The differences Benson points out are that United States follows a more business-driven model, while French newspapers publish politically engaged essays. Another difference he mentions is that journalism is viewed as investigative and personalized narrative in United States, but in France it is seen more as ideologically diverse analysis and debate of ideas.The author identifies ten immigration frames that portray immigrants as victims, heroes, and as a threat. Overall, in United States, he found that immigration stories were more about racism, as a threat to public order, and humanitarian narratives on immigrant problems. In France, in addition to racism and humanitarian frames, global economy frame remained in forefront unlike in United States. Benson also points out that although government offers greater financial support to newspapers in France, French immigration stories had more critical statements than did U. …