April 2022 Right Wing Media Report

During the April 1-30 tracking period, there were more than 5,000 negative immigration mentions across right-wing media outlets to an estimated audience of over 59 million people and over 200,000 Twitter mentions.

April Summary

During the April 1-30 tracking period, there were more than 5,000 negative immigration mentions across right-wing media outlets to an estimated audience of over 59 million people and over 200,000 Twitter mentions. Immigration media mentions have doubled in April compared to March due to the end of Title 42. There was one major spike in media mentions at the beginning of the month and two significant peaks towards the end of April.

The first peak in media mentions was on April 6th, following reports from Fox News, when Governor Greg Abbott announced he would forcibly relocate unauthorized migrants by bus to Washington, DC. The conversation continued to grow and peaked on April 13th, when the first bus arrived in DC.
The second significant spike developed on April 18th, stemming from growing conversations related to Title 42 coupled with the monthly release of CBP data. Furthermore, some outlets, including The Daily Wire, have amplified internal divisions among Democratic leaders over the policy’s end
The third spike occurred on April 25th, following a ruling from a federal judge barring the Biden Administration’s plan to end Title 42. The Daily Wire, among other right-wing outlets, and Republicans on Twitter praised this decision. Furthermore, the end of Title 42, has been fueling Republican narratives on Twitter about a “migrant invasion” and “fentanyl entering our borders.”

The top Facebook post is a Fox News article that continued to spotlight Governor Greg Abbott’s actions of busing migrants into Washington, DC. This post garnered 23,000 emoticons and over 1,000 shares. Another top post came from Breitbart News, highlighting that Republican governors came together to address the “chaotic border policies.”