Pro-illegal immigration puff pieces ("PIIPPs")

Summary (posts follow):

PIIPP stands for "pro-illegal immigration puff pieces", attempts by the MSM to pull your heartstrings in their attempt to advocate for illegal immigration, giving benefits to illegal aliens, and the like. Since most MSM articles about the topic try to do that, the term is usually restricted to articles that promote the DREAM Act.

Many of these PIIPPs are nearly identical; for a very clear example, see this side-by-side comparison of two articles from different papers using the same structure.

Many PIIPPs are probably planted by groups like the American Immigration Lawyers Association, racial power groups, or small student advocacy organizations. However, until a real reporter comes clean we'll never know where all these highly similar articles actually come from.

Last modified Dec 5, 2008

Discussed in (click each link for the full post):

Anderson Cooper, Thelma Gutierrez of CNN promote anti-American DREAM Act - 6/14/2009

Finally: PIIPPs are now available in video form as Anderson Cooper of CNN presents a "news" report from Thelma Gutierrez which isn't more than an ad for the anti-American DREAM Act, a federal bill that would let illegal aliens take college educations away from U.S. citizens. In his setup, Cooper refers to the report as a "side of the immigration battle that we don't often ...

Ted Madden/WFAA/KHOU promotes illegal aliens taking college discounts from Americans, bad public policy (Charles DeVille, Kelly Walker) - 5/18/2009

... Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas offers a PIIPP called "Wrestler can't take college scholarships due to immigration laws" here. If you aren't familiar with the term "PIIPP" and you trust his reporting, please see that link and then compare those cookie-cutter articles to the one he wrote. The structure of his article is virtually identical to all the rest, right down to prom...

David Gonzalez /NYT promotes anti-American DREAM Act, in-state tuition for illegal aliens - 4/25/2009

... what's called around here a PIIPP: cookie cutter articles designed to promote amnesty that all have a similar structure and features. See the link for past examples. In the current case, the four-screener - part of their "Remade in America" series - is little more than a sleazy sales pitch for the anti-American DREAM Act. One of the illegal alien subjects "luckily" was ab...

Phuong Ly /Washington Post's five screen ad for anti-American DREAM Act - 2/25/2009

... anti-American DREAM Act. See the PIIPP category for a discussion of all the other very similar articles that other hacks have offered.

Jamie Gold can't see problem with recent Los Angeles Times pro-illegal immigration propaganda - 2/08/2009

[UPDATE: Jamie Gold's idiotic reply below] Earlier this month, Jason Song of the Los Angeles Times offered a pro-illegal immigration propaganda piece called "For an illegal immigrant, getting into UCLA was the easy part". It generated a few hundred emails from their readers, and now Jamie Gold - that paper's feckless "Readers Representative" - offers an round-up of re...

Jason Song/LAT promotes illegal alien taking UCLA education from a U.S. citizen - 2/03/2009

... the easy part" (link), a PIIPP-like story of a woefully unprepared illegal alien's trials and tribulations raising money to attend that school. It has some of the components of other PIIPPs, such as her worries about no one being willing to hire her for her chosen profession after she graduates due to her status. However, unlike other such articles it doesn't advocate for the DREAM...

Youtube/Pulitzer makes worthless illegal immigration supporting video finalist - 11/19/2008

For the backstory, see Shock: Youtube/Pulitzer contest has pro-illegal immigration puff piece as finalist. That same worthless, illegal immigration-supporting video (link) is now one of the five finalists in the Pulitzer competition and is #20 on Youtube's Featured list. Either because of that or because of creative counting, its views have jumped from around 700 a couple days ago to over 60,...

Shock: Youtube/Pulitzer contest has pro-illegal immigration puff piece as finalist - 11/13/2008

Youtube is currently sponsoring an amateur journalism contest with the Pulitzer Center (youtube.com/projectreport), and they've recently selected their top ten finalists; one of those is the worthless, formulaic puff piece in support of illegal immigration to the right. The video is specifically about the Agriprocessors immigration raid in Postville, Iowa, and it's even worse than some...

Mitch Weiss,Jeffrey Collins/AP intro new immigration article device: the Sympathetic Victim/Representative - 10/08/2008

In the past there were PIIPPs. Now, a growing number of articles about immigration raids and the like are employing a device that I'll henceforth refer to as the use of SVRs: the "Sympathetic Victim/Representative". When an immigration raid occurs, instead of interviewing the local residents who saw their wages decline, hack reporters turn to one of the "victims" of the ra...

Does Tanya Schevitz understand and support fundamental American concepts? (Chris Patti, Claudia Keith) - 9/16/2008

Tanya Schevitz of the San Francisco Chronicle offers "Undocumented students' college aid in jeopardy" (link) about the recent ruling reinstating a suit over the California law giving in-state tuition to illegal aliens. That law is explicitly anti-American: it gives citizens of foreign countries who are here illegally a better deal than some U.S. citizens, and laws like that prevent ...

Joseph Berger/NYT promotes DREAM Act, largely ignores impact - 12/12/2007

Joseph Berger of the New York Times offers "Debates Persist Over Subsidies for Immigrant College Students".

New York Times editorial: pass anti-American DREAM Act - 9/24/2007

From the 9/20 New York Times editorial called "Pass the Dream Act" (link): ...The idea is modest and smart, but modest and smart usually dona

CCC offers DREAM Act PIIPP in press release form - 9/19/2007

Via this we get this press release from Xiomara Corpeno and Cheryl Aguilar of the Center for Community Change: As the United States Senate is expected to take up consideration of the DREAM Act as an amendment on the Senate floor, several immigrant youth will join national organizations and coalitions in

Douglas McGray's uniquely anti-American DREAM - 9/19/2007

Douglas McGray (douglasmcgray.com, dmcgray *at* comcast.net) of the New America Foundation offers "A uniquely American DREAM" (link), a guest editorial supporting the anti-American DREAM Act. In addition to being a massive and nearly unlimited amnesty, that bill - currently attached to a defense bill - would allow illegal aliens to take college discounts from U.S. citizens.

Stephen Wall/San Bernardino Sun promotes DREAM Act - 9/19/2007

... what's called around here a "PIIPP": a "Pro-Illegal Immigration Puff Piece". This one - like most of the others - is designed to promote the anti-American DREAM Act, a bill that would let illegal aliens take college discounts from U.S. citizens.

Crooked Towns: Sharon Cohen/AP on illegal immigration in Marshalltown, Iowa - 9/02/2007

In addition to PIIPPs, a new way the mainstream media attempts to sell massive immigration - usually of the illegal variety - is through what we'll call "Crooked Town Stories". These articles - some quite long - detail how a small town has changed after an influx of "immigrants", most of whom are illegal aliens.

Can Tim Padgett propaganda encourage even more illegal immigration? (DREAM Act) - 8/03/2007

... pieces - called around here "PIIPPs" - in support of the legislation.

Dreams Across America: all aboard the pro-illegal immigration train - 6/14/2007

"Dreams Across America" [1] is the latest stunt from supporters of a massive illegal alien amnesty, consisting of about 100 people taking a train Washington DC to lobby for "reform".

Steve Lopez: up with illegal immigration propaganda, allegedly Mexico-linked CHIRLA - 5/28/2007

Via this, Steve Lopez of the Los Angeles Times offers "Family crossed the border to success". The family in question is that of Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles.

Vanessa Bauza/South Florida Sun-Sentinel promotes DREAM Act - 4/24/2007

The following PIIPP has been spotted; see the other posts in this category for other examples of "pro-illegal immigration propaganda". Reporter: Vanessa Bauza Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel Date: April 23 2007 Title: "For young undocumented immigrants, 'Dream Act' offers avenue to success" link Contact: vbauza *at* sun-sentinel.com, 954-356-4514 Student l...

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal: let illegal aliens deprive U.S. citizens of college - 2/18/2007

... Republican-American offers a PIIPPish article entitled "Illegals seek tuition break". On the 13th, several people traveled to Hartford, Connecticut to support a bill that would give them those breaks. As with similar articles, it starts with the tear-jerking: Victoria Perez traveled to the state Capitol Tuesday to ask for a future... Perez, a senior at New Haven's Wilbur Cross Hig...

Teresa Watanabe on illegal alien children - 1/25/2007

Teresa Watanabe of the Los Angeles Times has a somewhat balanced overview of the issue of illegal alien children in "Children of illegal immigrants are caught in a web of conflicting public policies".

Hispanic voter suppression letter: evidence, Arnold, hacks - 10/17/2006

[UPDATE in Hispanic voter suppression letter: from a Republican???] This is a follow-up to the story of Hispanics in Orange County having received a supposed voter suppression letter. In this post I'm going to: present evidence that the letter was sent by an illegal immigration supporter... discuss how Arnold Schwarzenegger has been politically emasculated and how his handlers don'...

David Streitfeld/Los Angeles Times promotes illegal immigration - 10/01/2006

... the LAT stands, it ends on a PIIPPish note. This article is symptomatic of the "Fahrenheit 451"-ish trend of journalism. Newspapers that used to "follow the money" now try to cover up the trail. I don't expect any MSM source to ever "follow the money" in the case of illegal immigration and find out exactly who's profiting from massive illegal activity and w...

Katie Couric's PIIPP promotes anti-American DREAM Act - 9/22/2006

... video version of one of the other PIIPPs ("pro-illegal immigration puff pieces") discussed in this category, and like many of the others it promoted the anti-American DREAM Act.

"Seeking Biblical Principles to Inform Immigration Policy" - 9/21/2006

... this: Every Maria [subject of a PIIPP in a Christianity Today editorial] who gains a "better life" hurts our Patricias [low-wage U.S. citizen from an L.A.

Evan Lehmann of Lowell Sun: which Washington DC march did you attend? - 9/08/2006

Evan Lehmann of the Lowell Sun offers "Mass.

The Australian, Catherine Philp support U.S. illegal immigration - 8/21/2006

A discussion of foreign sources that support illegal immigration is a bit rare around here, but Catherine Philp is a U.S.-based reporter for The Australian, so if you run into her you might want to ask her about the article "Whites drive out Latinos who saved their town". Yes, that's the real headline. You might ask whether she come up with that headline, and if not whether she supp...

Juliana Barbassa/AP promotes anti-American DREAM Act - 7/25/2006

... the Associated Press offers a PIIPP entitled "Illegal immigrants find room at colleges": SAN FRANCISCO a

The Denver Post's Karen E. Crummy misleads about Sam Zamarripa - 7/16/2006

The Denver Post's Karen E. Crummy offered "Legislator: Ga.'s law no panacea" back on June 29. It covered the new illegal immigration law in Georgia, but - as might be expected - it covered a few things up: Unfortunately, Crummy interviewed a single Georgian, State Sen. Sam Zamarripa, who voted against the reform package.

Macarena Hernandez: PIIPP pimping DREAM Act - 7/08/2006

... Dallas Morning News offers a PIIPP ("pro-illegal immigration puff piece") called "Good kids are counting on Dream Act". As described below, this article is extremely similar to other articles in this genre.

Alicia Robinson, Daily Pilot pimps ID cards for illegal aliens (Matricula Consular) - 6/26/2006

Alicia Robinson of Orange County's Los Angeles Times-affiliated Daily Pilot offers "ID card seen as ticket to a brighter future" about Mexico's Matricula Consular cards, aka "IDs for illegals". Mexico passes those IDs out to their citizens in the U.S. irrespective of their immigration status, and they're mostly used by illegal aliens in order to obtain some form ...

Nathaniel Hoffman, Andrew Becker, Contra Costa Times support illegal immigration - 6/20/2006

Nathaniel Hoffman and Andrew Becker of the Contra Costa Times offer separate articles that support illegal immigration. Hoffman offers "Immigration rights advocates contemplate their next steps". From the headline on down it's completely biased towards supporting illegal immigration and foreign citizens marching in our streets.

Giovanna Dell'orto/AP: pro-illegal immigration propaganda on anchor babies - 5/23/2006

... debate". Here's the first, PIIPPish paragraph: Laila Montezuma was 16 when she sneaked across the Rio Grande from Mexico with her mother, only to be abandoned by the smuggler paid to get them into the United States.

Deepa Ranganathan/Sacramento Bee pro-illegal immigration propaganda - 4/20/2006

Searching through blogs, I ran across a new-to-me site, which says: This Sacramento Bee article really made me start to think about my position on illegal immigration. I'm a strong opponent of general amnesty and extending government services to illegal aliens...

Tyche Hendricks' pro-illegal immigration propaganda - 4/09/2006

San Francisco Chronicle reporter Tyche Hendricks offers a pro-illegal immigration puff piece in the article "Stakes High for Families". As you can see by looking at the other articles in that category, all these propaganda pieces start the same way.

Illegal aliens march, demand same rights as citizens. A good thing? - 2/19/2006

Is it a good thing to have illegal aliens agitating for extra rights inside your country? Isn't that a dangerous situation? Here are three recent examples: "Hundreds gather in opposition to federal immigration legislation" by Ted Roelofs of the Grand Rapids Press.

AP's Martiga Lohn offers pro-illegal immigration propaganda - 1/30/2006

Yet another PIIPP from the AP: M.M. is a small man and he speaks softly, but he wants his words to be heard. M.M.

A question for Professor Kevin R. Johnson - 1/16/2006

The titular person is the: "Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Mabie-Apallas Public Interest Professor of Law and Chicana/o Studies Univ.

New York Times discusses plight of illegal alien, supports union busting - 1/12/2006

... hankies, because the NYT has a new PIIPP ("pro-illegal immigration puff piece"). It's called "More and More, Women Risk All to Enter U.S." and it's from Lizette Alvarez and John M. Broder.

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