May 2022 Right Wing Media Report

During the May 1-31 tracking period, there were more than 4,000 negative immigration mentions across right-wing media outlets to an estimated audience of over 59 million people and over 180,000 Twitter mentions.

May Summary

During the May 1-31 tracking period, there were more than 4,000 negative immigration mentions across right-wing media outlets to an estimated audience of over 59 million people and over 180,000 Twitter mentions. There was one major spike in media mentions at the beginning of the month and two peaks towards the end of May.

The first peak occurred on May 9th because of news that a federal judge denied the Biden administration’s request to dismiss a lawsuit to halt its “catch and release” policy. This peak can also be attributed to Republicans’ continued pro-Title 42 messaging on Twitter.
The second major spike developed on May 13th, stemming from Arizona’s Governor Doug Ducey’s busing migrants to Washington, D.C, mirroring Governor Greg Abbott. Both governors have repeatedly criticized the Biden administration’s border policies on Twitter and are bussing migrants as a form of protest.
The final spike was on May 24th because of right-wing media reports praising a border patrol agent for allegedly killing the shooter in Uvalde, Texas. Authorities are still gathering details on the timeline of events leading up to the massacre, but they have determined that a U.S. Border Patrol tactical team killed the gunman.

The top Facebook post was a Breitbart News article about the 5-4 SCOTUS ruling against immigrants seeking to challenge administrative decisions in federal court. This post garnered 27,000 emoticons and over 1,000 shares. Another top post came from Glenn Beck, highlighting that a judge blocked the Biden administration from lifting Title 42.