It’s Fake News! Ignore the Other Children
In June of 2018, Time magazine’s cover featured an edited photo of a toddler crying and looking up at Donald Trump with the caption “Welcome to America” (Lauricella, 2018). The cover was meant to shed light upon children who are separated from their parents during the immigration process (Lauricella, 2018). In the article Time magazine claimed that the toddler was separated from her mother, in actuality, they were never separated (Sacks, 2018). Time magazine was later accused of publishing fake news (Lauricella, 2018).
According to LeBlanc (2017), fake news is false information that is published and claims to be true in order to deceive people.
Although stating that the toddler and mother were separated could have been a simple mistake, many have still criticized Time magazine. The Trump administration claimed that Time magazine published the fake news in order to push the Democratic agenda (Lauricella, 2018). Another reason for publishing fake news is to gain money and fame (Machado, Griffin, Smith, & Fielding, 2017). With that being said, the true intention is unknown.
Regardless of Time magazine’s intention, many people have questioned; should Time magazine have used this photo even though the toddler was not separated from her mother?
If Time magazine wanted to represent the children who are separated from their parents, they should have used a different photo. The photo they published does not represent separation. However, it is a powerful photo that represents the hardships immigrants experience. If Time magazine wanted to use this photo, they could have shifted the focus to what immigrants go through while still addressing the separation issues. This way, the article would be truthful and still raise awareness.
Regardless, the Time magazine cover was extremely moving and shed light upon the separation issue within the immigration process.
References
Lauricella, S. (2018). Case Study: Does the Photo Fit the News? The Ethics of Powerful Images in the Immigration Debate. Media Ethics. https://www.mediaethicsmagazine.com/index.php/browse-back-issues/210-fall-2018-vol/3999232-does-the-photo-fit-the-news
LeBlanc, C. (2017). What is “Fake News”? Pressbooks. https://fakenews.pressbooks.com/chapter/what-is-fake-news/
Machado, N., Griffin, J., Smith, J., & Fielding, M. (2017). What Motivates People to Spread Fake News on Social Media? Pressbooks. https://fakenews.pressbooks.com/chapter/6-what-motivates-people-to-spread-fake-news-on-social-media/
Sacks, E. (2018, June 22). Time issues correction for photo of crying 2-year-old migrant. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/immigration-border-crisis/time-issues-correction-photo-crying-2-year-old-migrant-n885836
