Date of Award

1-1-2013

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Specialization

Communication and Leadership

School or Department

School of Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Dr. Carolyn Cunningham

Second Advisor

Dr. Heather Crandall

Abstract

Propaganda is the deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist (Jowett & O’Donnell, 2005). This study is to see how propaganda is used by a anti-immigrant special interest organization to frame the debate and assist the televised press to set the agenda on the topic. Specifically, the attention of the study was on the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation. The research explored in this thesis was founded on Shaw’s and McComb’s (1972) agenda-setting theory and Entman’s (1993) process of framing. The study applied an ideological rhetorical analysis to the organization’s recent report called The Fiscal Cost of Unlawful Immigrants and Amnesty to the U.S. Taxpayer. The results of the study indicate that the authors of the Heritage report used language, stereotypes, and conservative ideologies to craft a message against immigration reform legislation in the United States under the guise of research. Most televised news outlets criticized the report as propaganda and unreliable, but conservative news outlet Fox News legitimize the organization and used report findings to set the agenda against immigration reform. Further studies in this area would focus on how the report affected public opinion or how the media is framing the immigration debate and the correlation with the themes identified in the Heritage report.

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