Immigration history

America as we know it today was founded by immigrants. Without immigration the United States would not be the great "melting pot" as we all know it today. In the late 1800's immigrants from all over flocked to this land in search of something better. The story is no different today, except the toleration for it. In the past these immigrants seemed to be welcome with open arms to neighborhoods and towns founded by people of the same nationality. With this such a crucial part of our countries history i do not really know how to anticipate the public opinion of immigration. Initially it was probably tolerated even praised to bring family and friends to America were they can be free. As states expanded and cities grew problems became more apparent. Clashes between nationalities and races created a problem that would not soon go away. As time went on most citizens adapted to the newly founded "American culture." This culture seem to grow and eventually disguise the melting pot America was once known as. Today immigrants are severely looked down upon due to many reasons. Whether it be for economic reasons or cultural reasons i believe beginning in the early 1900's the public opinion of immigration began high and slowly decreased to what we know see today.

Media coverage of immigration

Recently there has been growing coverage on the issue of immigration. As problems in the U.S. grow and begin to seem unbearable so does the issue of immigration. Frustration from the poor economy seems to have a effect on how people view immigration an its reform. Also due to the growing problems of drug trafficking between the borders, as well as, violent gangs making it more difficult to patrol the borders. Some feel the time is now for reform. With growing coverage comes growing support for a serious issue. Though not all of this recent coverage has been negative. Others believe that with our weakened economy immigrants are a good thing. They feel making these immigrants legal citizens will in turn benefit the country as a whole. Either way you look at it immigration and its potential reform is becoming a hot topic. However, due to all of the other serious issue our country is facing today it is unlikely that immigration reform will happen anytime in the near future.

Polling and the Media

Polling today has begun to draw much criticism. In past classes we have learned that these potential criticisms have come from many things such as the wording of the questions being asked, the order in which they are being asked, and even the number and demographic of the people being asked these questions. Understandably these can cause many problems for the public as well as pollsters. However, arguably the biggest criticism of public opinion polling is the way in which they are reported on. Polls tend to display the results in a way that best fits the agenda of the station. It is even often that the station itself has sponsored the poll. This creates biases throughout every level of the polling process creating skewed and not fully true results. Other problems within media is due to the concentration of ownership within the industry. It is said that 80% of newspapers are owned by the same chain, as well as, 85% of broadcast T.V. stations are affiliated with one of the three major networks, ABC, NBC, and CBS. They report on these polls depending on what the poll is covering, how the issue is being covered, and unfortunatly the desire to make profits. These criteria can be very different across the board of various media outlets leading to very different polls on different stations. This problem is especially significant in the United States because we are a republican democracy in which the people have ultimate governing authority. Because of this there needs to be a reliable means for facilitating a 2-way communication between the general public and their represenatives within government. With faulty and biased polls the American public will not be able to clearly and effectively communicate their problems and concerns to their represenatives.