piipp
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 Aug 12, 2018
Discussed in (click each link for the full post):
If you think NPR Tell Me More is real journalism, see this. (illegal immigration propaganda, Michel Martin) - 12/12/11
If you think NPR's Tell Me More and host Michel Martin engage in real journalism, keep reading because I hope to change your mind.
Joy Resmovits misleads with boilerplate pro-illegal immigration propaganda (Huffington Post) - 05/11/11
Joy Resmovits of the Huffington Post offers "DREAM Act Reintroduction Gives Undocumented Students Tempered Hope" [1], a by-the-numbers example of what we call around here a PIIPP ("pro-illegal immigration puff piece").
Susan Carroll of Houston Chronicle promotes anti-American DREAM Act (PIIPP) - 06/01/10
Susan Carroll of the Houston Chronicle offers "Noncitizen grads pin hopes on DREAM Act" (chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7029415.html), a cookie-cutter propaganda piece designed to support that anti-American bill. The bill she promotes would allow illegal aliens to take college educations away from needy U.S.
Why do Harvard, Drew Faust, and Elizabeth Pezza want illegal aliens to take educations from U.S. citizens? - 04/04/10
Elizabeth Pezza - staff writer for the Harvard University Crimson newspaper - offers "Living in the Shadows/Their hopes of immigration reform repeatedly unfulfilled, undocumented students endure an effectively unforeseeable future" (thecrimson.com/article/2010/4/1/undocumented-students-harvard-act). It's a PIIPP-ish article (see that link for what that means and examples) that, instead of doing news reporting, advocates for the anti-American DREAM Act. That bill would let illegal aliens take college educations away from U.S. citizens and, despite having over 3500 words, Pezza doesn't even...
Rick Sanchez of CNN promotes anti-American DREAM Act, uses "gringo" slur - 03/16/10
On March 12, Rick Sanchez of CNN offered a video segment about the anti-American DREAM Act, a bill that would let foreign citizens who are here illegally take college educations away from U.S. citizens (video link).
Devin Dwyer of ABC News promotes anti-American bill; would deprive some U.S. students of college - 12/16/09
Devin Dwyer of ABC News offers the four-screen "Legal Limbo: Undocumented Students Eager for Congress to Act" [1] in which he promotes an anti-American bill that would prevent some U.S. students from attending college. If you trust Dwyer's reporting, please visit these two links:
Why is Ed Morrissey promoting a skilled immigration edge case, and will HotAir take a fall on amnesty? - 12/16/09
Over at HotAir, there's nothing I can find about yesterday's re-introduction of an amnesty bill.
Anderson Cooper, Thelma Gutierrez of CNN promote anti-American DREAM Act - 06/14/09
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 t
Ted Madden/WFAA/KHOU promotes illegal aliens taking college discounts from Americans, bad public policy (Charles DeVille, Kelly Walker) - 05/18/09
Ted Madden of WFAA-TV in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas offers a PIIPP called "Wrestler can't take college scholarships due to immigration laws"
David Gonzalez /NYT promotes anti-American DREAM Act, in-state tuition for illegal aliens - 04/25/09
David Gonzalez of the New York Times offers "A Family Divided by 2 Words, Legal and Illegal" (link). The article is 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 able to attend City University of New York at the in-state rate; that wasn't so lucky for the U.S. citizen who...
Phuong Ly /Washington Post's five screen ad for anti-American DREAM Act - 02/25/09
Freelance writer and former Washington Post staffer Phuong Ly offers "The Outsider" (link), a five screen ad for the anti-American DREAM Act.
Jamie Gold can't see problem with recent Los Angeles Times pro-illegal immigration propaganda - 02/08/09
[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 reaction where she can't find anything wrong (link). Summary: she seems to be taking disingenuous lessons from Clark Hoyt of the New York Times. Note also this:
"It's not either/or," responds California Editor David Lauter. "The...
Jason Song/LAT promotes illegal alien taking UCLA education from a U.S. citizen - 02/03/09
Jason Song of the Los Angeles Times offers "For an illegal immigrant, getting into UCLA was the easy part" (link), a PIIPP-like story of a woefully unprepared illegal alien's trials and tribulations raising money to attend that school.
Youtube/Pulitzer makes worthless illegal immigration supporting video finalist - 11/19/08
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 60,000 currently.
Mitch Weiss,Jeffrey Collins/AP intro new immigration article device: the Sympathetic Victim/Representative - 10/08/08
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 raid (i.e., an illegal alien) and allow him or her to say obviously illogical things completely unopposed.
Does Tanya Schevitz understand and support fundamental American concepts? (Chris Patti, Claudia Keith) - 09/16/08
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 some U.S. citizens from going to college. In other words, illegal aliens take a chance at college from U.S. citizens. Such laws are a direct attack on the fundamental concept of citizenship.
The title of the...
Nicole Bode/NY Daily News, New Sanctuary Movement pretend laws to blame for family separation - 06/18/08
Nicole Bode of the New York Daily News offers "Deportation to Senegal leaves Sory Fofana's family in pain" (link):
Eleven-year-old Fanta Fofana spoke barely above a whisper as she described the day immigration officers burst into her Bronx apartment and took her dad.
"I was sleeping with my sisters and my cousins," Fanta said, her eyes downcast. "The police came and took my father away from my family. I was born here and I can't believe my country would do this to me."
That's definitely unfortunate. But, did he bring it on himself? Let's find out:
an immigration court determined that...
CCC offers DREAM Act PIIPP in press release form - 09/19/07
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 Washington, DC tomorrow, Wednesday, September 19, 2007 to urge their Members of Congress to support the DREAM Act under the chorus, "Our Dreams Can't Wait."
They brought along two students; compare their descriptions in the release from the first paragraphs offered by "reporters" in "news"...
Douglas McGray's uniquely anti-American DREAM - 09/19/07
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. Please contact your Senators and let them know you oppose it or just go here to send a free FAX.
The editorial is highly similar to the "news" reports in this genre; if you aren't familiar with them read a few of those...
Stephen Wall/San Bernardino Sun promotes DREAM Act - 09/18/07
Stephen Wall of the San Bernardino Sun offers 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. The bill is currently attached to a defense bill and everyone is urged to call their Senators and stress your opposition.
As for Wall's propaganda, if you aren't familiar with these type of articles, look at the two examples presented side-by-side here. Then compare them with his and consider - despite...
Can Tim Padgett propaganda encourage even more illegal immigration? (DREAM Act) - 08/03/07
The DREAM Act is an explicitly anti-American bill that would allow illegal aliens to take discounted college educations from U.S. citizens. Corrupt newspapers and "reporters" have offered a long line of propaganda pieces - called around here PIIPP - in support of the legislation. That propaganda is invariably strongly biased towards the Act and rarely if ever mentions its downsides.
Now, here's one in magazine form, from Tim Padgett of Time ("Can Two Kids Alter Immigration Law?", link):
When teenage brothers Juan and Alex Gomez were awakened at dawn on July 25 and arrested by U.S. immigration...
Dreams Across America: all aboard the pro-illegal immigration train - 06/14/07
"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 - 05/28/07
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 - 04/24/07
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 last names: not used
Common threads: One student apparently to go to Palm Beach Community Coll
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal: let illegal aliens deprive U.S. citizens of college - 02/18/07
Randy James of the Waterbury 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 High School, aspires to go to college next year to prepare for a career in criminal justice. But she has no idea how she'll foot the bill... The problem: She's in the United States...
Teresa Watanabe on illegal alien children - 01/25/07
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". It features a few quotes from CIS and FAIR representatives, but it also ends on this PIIPPish note that she or someone else there should take a closer look at:
During a recent visit to the Gomezes' tidy Los Angeles apartment, all four family members spoke of the importance of hard work and education. Cesar and Thania's father, Felipe Gomez, who came here illegally in 1990, said his main...
Hispanic voter suppression letter: evidence, Arnold, hacks - 10/17/06
[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't have the U.S.'s best interests at h
David Streitfeld/Los Angeles Times promotes illegal immigration - 10/01/06
David Streitfeld of the Los Angeles Times' business section offers a five-screener called "Illegal -- but Essential". It informs us that illegal labor is a "pillar of California's economic strength" and takes other steps to promote illegal immigration. While it does contain two anecdotes about workers who've been affected, and a mention of George Borjas' studies, they're overshadowed by the general feeling of sleaziness. Similar articles could have been written about the benefits of crooked cops or about how drugrunners buying speedboats props up the economy.
And, needless to say, nowhere in...
Katie Couric's PIIPP promotes anti-American DREAM Act - 09/22/06
It looks like Katie Couric is spreading pro-illegal immigration propaganda. Last night, CBS Evening News' "freeSpeech" segment featured an illegal alien whose identity was concealed. This was the 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" - 09/21/06
Via this comes this article subtitled "Scripture provides more than easy slogans and soft platitudes about welcoming foreigners." It ends with 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? - 09/08/06
Evan Lehmann of the Lowell Sun offers "Mass.
The Australian, Catherine Philp support U.S. illegal immigration - 08/21/06
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 supports it. Does she think it's accurate?
Juliana Barbassa/AP promotes anti-American DREAM Act - 07/25/06
Juliana Barbassa of 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 - 07/16/06
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 - 07/08/06
Macarena Hernandez of the 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) - 06/26/06
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 of legitimacy.
Nathaniel Hoffman, Andrew Becker, Contra Costa Times support illegal immigration - 06/20/06
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 - 05/23/06
Giovanna Dell'orto of the AP offers "Citizenship by birthright up for 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 - 04/20/06
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...