My father is a Mexican immigrant who came to this country legally with his family in 1959. I mention this in the spirit of full disclosure, to show that when it comes to immigration issues, I’m not neutral. I’m not sure who is.
I think it’s fine to offer immigrants — even illegal ones — a chance to get a college education at public institutions by paying in-state tuition. But I also recognize that many people don’t feel the same way, and I’ve been reminded of that over the last few weeks amid debate over a state bill that would offer the lower tuition to undocumented immigrants.
Many readers, particularly those who oppose the measure, have complained that the Globe’s coverage has appeared to lean more favorably toward those who support in-state tuition for illegal immigrants.
“How about reporting the outrage of law-abiding citizens and legal residents over the continuing, insufferable demands for yet more taxpayer-funded goodies for those who have disregarded the law?” wrote Russell Gale, a reader from Weymouth who frequently contacts me on immigration-related stories. “‘The Globe feels perfectly free to take a swipe at those of us who don’t share its particular bias in favor of lawbreakers.”
On the surface, it’s understandable how some readers might think the Globe has a pro-immigrant agenda. A Nov. 2 editorial and a Nov. 14 City & Region column by Adrian Walker offered strong endorsements of the bill. (A few letters to the editor and a Nov. 8 op-ed piece by Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey have provided arguments opposing the measure.) But those are opinion pieces. News stories are not supposed to reflect any bias.
After reviewing much of the news coverage on this issue, I have found a general tone to stories that suggested a greater sensitivity toward those who support the in-state tuition proposal. Readers deserve a more balanced treatment.
Globe news stories frequently offered a greater variety of voices from those who supported the bill — immigrant advocates, prospective students, the attorney general, legislators, even the mayor of Boston. But the positions of those who opposed the idea were largely limited to Governor Romney or Healey — high-powered voices to be sure, but readers would benefit from hearing about others who oppose the plan and why.
An Oct. 26 article that noted lagging support for the bill didn’t contain a single quote from anyone opposing the measure, but instead offered vows from supporters to gather the necessary votes in time (which they didn’t).
The Globe has reported that about 400 students would take advantage of the lower tuition — a figure calculated by an immigrant advocate and based on 2000 US Census estimates. Regular reminders that such estimates typically undercount actual immigrant populations would better serve readers.
An enlightening story on this topic was the Nov. 9 front-page article by Raphael Lewis that looked at the impact similar proposals have had in other states. Thursday’s story on the House delaying a vote on the bill until next year was a more even-handed approach because it gave a more detailed view of those who oppose the measure as costly and an unfair reward for undocumented students.
Metropolitan Editor Carolyn Ryan believes the Globe’s coverage has been fair.
“Even though this issue has been with us for two years, it’s going to be even more vivid next year, given the governor’s race and the differing views of the candidates,” she stated in an email. “It seems clear the grassroots opponents are becoming better organized, too, and we are looking forward to capturing that movement.”
Another reader, David Holzman, noted in an e-mail that the federal government refers to undocumented immigrants as “illegal aliens,” and thinks the Globe should, too.
Michael Larkin, the Globe’s deputy managing editor for news operations, who oversees the Globe’s style, said the phrase was replaced years ago, largely at the request of Latino staff reporters who felt the term was pejorative and politically weighted. “‘That phrase can sound like we’re taking sides and we’re not,” Larkin said. I agree. But in fact, ”illegal aliens” has appeared in the Globe as recently as a July news story and again in Healey’s op-ed essay.
That’s less important than the Globe’s overall coverage of this crucial issue. I may disagree with those who don’t want illegal immigrants to pay a lower tuition for public colleges. But their views deserve to be as widely reflected in the Globe as those who do.
