INTRODUCTION
Through analysis of our cartoons we found an overall theme of positive messages towards immigration. We discovered that a majority of the editorial cartoonists published pictures that represented the immigrants as hard workers but being treated unfairly, complained about by the public, and torn between two sides. We also found editorial cartoonists play a big role in informing the public about issues and challenging many of the myths that people believe.
EXAMPLES
In cartoon # 6 Two Rich People shows the immigrants as being much smaller and appearing like servants to what look to be wealthy caucasians. This brings up the issue of the workers being treated unfairly by a public who doesn't really know what's going on.
Some of our research showed the economy as being benefited by the presence of immigrant workers. However cartoons like #11 The Restaurant show how many view immigrants as depriving the economy and complain about them.
We found most of the editorial cartoons to be framed in a way that caucasians are hold a more priviliged stance and immigrants are taken advantage of. We believe artists who depict this type of situation are making use of the narrative of need framing technique, making readers aware of how some immigrants are being viewed as peons and as short-term labor solutions. We actually found many cartoons depicting workers being treated poorly.
The use of affirmative framing was also prevalant in the cartoons. For example, cartoon # 2 Immigrant Anchor Baby, challenges the myth and presents immigrants in a more positive light. We found most cartoons really encouraged people to be aware of current issues, to either develop their own understanding of the issues or reinforce their views. They promoted thought about current myths and debates issues and challenged opinions. Many sought to contradict what people may have already heard or previously believed. Some were even neutral on the issue but raised the question of morality in the debate. Cartoon # 4 Construction Workers was just one example of this use of a neutral frame.
An aspect of the issue we also noticed was how immigrants find themselves torn between two countries. Cartoons # 7, Come to Daddy and # 10 Torn Immigrant showed the issues the immigrants have to deal with from both sides. It shows the conflicting messages from the U.S. government and those from their own.
CONCLUSION
Overall, analyzing the messages collected from our range of sources, we concluded that the message sent to readers about immigration is positive. We found it to encourage people to see it as helping our economy rather than hurting it. Many promote immigration, respect of persons, and are successful in painting immigration in a way that would allow readers to be aware of myths and generalizations.
