Like many students, I am a Twitter user and abuser. I got on Twitter frequently, and this week, I had a reality check when I tweeted #wherearethechildren out of good intentions. Many people have heard of the alleged separation policy that Trump has enacted with the border control, better known as ICE, where children are separated from their parents and put into separate detention centers. This is true- but it has falsely been linked to the lost children.
I came across a tweet several days after tweeting #wherearethechildren by a lawyer who was experienced in cases like this and has has contact with people related to the incident. She said that we should stop tweeting this- the lost children are very likely to be with their families (she noted it is probably an uncle/aunt/grandparent who is a US citizen) and have not been accounted for as undocumented by the government- and that if the 1,500 children were to be found, they would be sent back to Mexico by ICE. So, she stated it is better if they remain unaccounted for.
This is a clear example of the duality of the media. CNN almost immediately tweeted out a picture of a migrant child with the caption "ICE lost 1,500 children- what you should know" with a link to a story which lacked the information that was stated above by the lawyer. Two stories changed my outlook on this issue, and showed me that I need to do my research when using social media. We all have to do better and benefit the people we are trying to help, not hurt them.
I came across a tweet several days after tweeting #wherearethechildren by a lawyer who was experienced in cases like this and has has contact with people related to the incident. She said that we should stop tweeting this- the lost children are very likely to be with their families (she noted it is probably an uncle/aunt/grandparent who is a US citizen) and have not been accounted for as undocumented by the government- and that if the 1,500 children were to be found, they would be sent back to Mexico by ICE. So, she stated it is better if they remain unaccounted for.
This is a clear example of the duality of the media. CNN almost immediately tweeted out a picture of a migrant child with the caption "ICE lost 1,500 children- what you should know" with a link to a story which lacked the information that was stated above by the lawyer. Two stories changed my outlook on this issue, and showed me that I need to do my research when using social media. We all have to do better and benefit the people we are trying to help, not hurt them.
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