"There will be a Next Time": Media Discourse About an "Apocalyptic" Vision of Immigration, Racial Diversity, And Health Risks‪.‬

Abstract This study examines Canadian media coverage of a female visitor from the Congo, suspected of carrying a deadly disease, to show how "race" has been constructed and sustained in Canadian society. Critical discourse analysis of four major Canadian newspapers constitutes the data of the paper. Findings show that the media used the case to cause panic in the Canadian population by cross-articulating immigration and racial identity with health risks. Analysis of the media coverage reveals that anti-racial diversity discourse in the media is coded in non-race terms. We argue that news coverage of the event reinforces broader racial ideologies around immigration and risk that are capable of tapping into the anxiety of Canadians over the growing presence of racial minorities in Canada.