Networks Focus on Victims as They Paint ‘Severe’ Alabama Law as ‘Arizona on Steroids’
Matching the pattern set in coverage of Arizona’s immigration enforcement law, the broadcast network evening newscasts on Thursday set night all framed their stories on Alabama’s “severe” new law around its victims, with ABC anchor Diane Sawyer and NBC anchor Brian Williams both describing it as “Arizona on steroids.” They didn’t mean it as a compliment. Sawyer mischaracterized it as an “anti-immigration law.” ABC was the most one-sided, with reporter Steve Osunsami not mentioning a reason for the new law until his very last sentence. Instead, Osunsami intoned, “Across Alabama today, demonstrators were furious, calling this the Arizona law with an Alabama twist,” before showing a man who charged that “it says that our government promotes racism.” Osunsami proceeded to empathize and tout some high school students: “Some of them are student athletes and class officers and, yes, some are undocumented. They told me they now come to school in fear.” He highlighted a parent who is moving to California because of the law, but the mother despaired “we’re people, we’re humans.” Brian Williams set up NBC’s story by citing “a law that goes so far as to tell elementary schools to investigate their kids. One commentator today called this ‘Arizona on steroids.’” Reporter Kerry Sanders connected the new law to Alabama’s racist/segregationist history. Over black and white video of police attacking a crowd Sanders asserted: “This Mexican-American, Duce Lavera, says in this Southern state with its ugly history she sees something else in the law.” The woman charged: “I think it's just hate. It's not really about jobs.” CBS provided the only story approaching balance, but reporter Mark Strassmann still found a farmer upset about losing his workers who hyperbolically claimed: “You want to get rid of illegal immigrants, quit eating. And that's for everybody nationwide. If you want to get rid of them, quit eating. That will solve the problem.” Sawyer’s introduction on World News conveyed quite an ominous picture: And now, we turn to the toughest anti-immigration law in America that went into effect today in Alabama, a crackdown so severe it's been described as the Arizona law on steroids. Police have broad new powers to stop and detain anyone they deem suspicious and even use their children in classrooms to track them down. [ Friday readers: We need today to be our big day! Show your support for NewsBusters by helping us reach our $5,000 goal today. Donate now and get a liberal media bias gift as a thank you.] The stories on the Thursday, September 29 newscasts, transcripts provided by the MRC’s Brad Wilmouth who corrected the closed-captioning against the video: ABC’s World News : DIANE SAWYER: And now, we turn to the toughest anti-immigration law in America that went into effect today in Alabama, a crackdown so severe it's been described as the Arizona law on steroids. Police have broad new powers to stop and detain anyone they deem suspicious and even use their children in classrooms to track them down. ABC's Steve Osunsami is in Birmingham tonight. CLIP OF PROTESTERS: This is what democracy looks like! STEVE OSUNSAMI: Across Alabama today, demonstrators were furious, calling this the Arizona law with an Alabama twist. UNIDENTIFIED MAN: To me, it says that our government promotes racism. UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN #1: We have to move. We have to leave everything. OSUNSAMI: It was approved by the state legislature and widely backed by voters here. The police can check for papers, detain undocumented residents without bail, and the public schools are now forced to share with authorities the citizenship status of all newly enrolled students. GOVERNOR ROBERT BENTLEY (R-AL): We have the strongest immigration law in this country. OSUNSAMI: At Center Point High in Birmingham, principal Van Phillips says several students came to him this morning, worried he was going to kick them out. VAN PHILLIPS, PRINCIPAL OF CENTER POINT HIGH SCHOOL: I'm not INS. It's not my job to police who's legal, who's illegal. OSUNSAMI: Some of them are student athletes and class officers and, yes, some are undocumented. They told me they now come to school in fear. UNIDENTIFIED TEENAGE GIRL: I came to school thinking, are they going to pull me out of class? Are they going to ask me questions? UNIDENTIFIED TEENAGE BOY: They're saying we can't have the same rights as citizens because they're not citizens, but I really want to know what's the real definition of citizen? OSUNSAMI: Educators here say they've been put in a tough spot, and that under the law, all they plan to do is report information. PHIL HAMMONDS, SUPERINTENDENT OF JEFFERSON COUNTY SCHOOLS:
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on September 30, 2011. Filed under