The Hill: The media cycle and the border crisis myth

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Tony Payan
Françoise and Edward Djerejian Fellow for Mexico Studies | Director, Center for the United States and MexicoMedia coverage of unaccompanied minors from Central America has drawn claims of a "crisis" on the border — but focusing on the border misses the point, writes Mexico Center director Tony Payan. "This is largely a manufactured crisis, mostly due to the fact that it has become part of a 24-hour news cycle that feeds on stories that appeal to emotions and draw incendiary remarks from politicians," Payan explains. Unless the U.S. addresses the political, economic and social development crisis in Central America more broadly, the problem will continue.
Read Payan's full commentary, "The media cycle, political theater and the border crisis myth," in the August 1, 2014, edition of The Hill.
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