The Stories We Tell: The Politics of Stigma and the Language of Immigration Reporting

Event details Date: Wednesday, July 29, 2026 Time: 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM Location: Online Department: USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism About this event “Deny entry to all female foreigners.” "Require sterilization of all foreign visitors prior to entry.” “Are we right in saying that ‘these dogs and cats in Ohio are celebrating this afternoon?’” These were just a few of the social media responses to the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision on birthright citizenship, a ruling that reaffirmed the status quo of issuing citizenship for babies born in the U.S. The comments are just the latest chapter in a long history of anti-immigration sentiment. Caricatures of immigrants, racist language and exclusionary laws can be traced back to the earliest days of the Republic. In this webinar, we’ll take a closer look at one aspect of that history and explore how a social justice initiative launched 21 years ago has shaped the language we use and the stories we tell about immigration today. In 2005, a memo from influential Republican pollster Frank Luntz urged conservatives to use the term “illegal immigrant” over more neutral terms. In response, our featured speaker Rinku Sen, a political strategist and expert on changing narratives then at Race Forward, mounted the “Drop the I -Word Campaign,” which ultimately convinced major media outlets including the AP, USA Today, and the LA Times to stop routinely using the word “illegal” when referring to immigrants. Sen, executive director of the Narrative Initiative, will join Center for Health Journalism Director Michelle Levander to excavate the recent history of the terms we use when talking about immigrants, explain how they’ve become politically weaponized, and discuss what’s at stake for the health and well-being of immigrant families and communities. This webinar is a joint presentation from the Center for Health Journalism and the Narrative Initiative. The webinar is part of our occasional “Stories We Tell” series, made possible thanks to the generous support of The California Endowment. RSVP Official event details: https://calendar.usc.edu/event/the-stories-we-tell-the-politics-of-stigma-and-the-language-of-immigration-reporting