Crossed wires: United States newspaper constructions of outside ``others''. The case of Latinos

Protected by the First Amendment, the U.S. press is charged with a central role in democracy--that of providing citizens information necessary for enlightened self-governance. News coverage plays a major role in defining, interpreting and disseminating the meaning of events. Reports construct a social reality across a continuum of time. Beginning in the mid-1800s this role affects Latinos.;However, they are dysfunctional from the standpoint of media professionalism and responsibility in the case of reporting about Latinos who reside in the external and internal third world. The term "third world" as used in this dissertation is drawn from World Bank regional categories, meaning less developed, non-aligned nations. Here it has been expanded to link population groups with similar socio-economic realities regardless of their geopolitical site. Where these populations are concerned, current definitions of newsworthiness fail to meet established professional standards and codes of ethics.;Corporate newsroom culture, shaped by these practices, now faces a critical dilemma. As population profiles change, constructed realities imposed by such coverage remain entrenched and unable to respond to expanding potential markets. Hegemony becomes less functional as demographics shift and new power agendas emerge. However, with increased concentration of press ownership, change of these negative practices becomes more difficult, threatening to impose corporate authoritarianism that could undermine democracy itself.;Drawing on history, sociology and case studies of press crisis reporting about Latinos both outside and inside the United States, this dissertation explores the trajectory of coverage from 1846 to 1996; using these findings as a microcosm, it examines the newsroom culture in an attempt to examine implications for the future of the U.S. press.;U.S. foreign coverage began during an adversarial relationship at the start of the 1846 war with Mexico, when Americans were defining the nation's character. Repeatedly revitalized through crisis reporting, these permanently set the frame and conventions for coverage of the Latino third world. Reinforced in practice and convention; they are functional and reinforce hegemony.