Fall 2006

Global Migration and Immigration: Stories and Images About the Journey

‘… what's going on in Europe today is, literally and figuratively, a border story.’

When I was a border correspondent, I learned to move between both sides, quickly and frequently, physically and mentally, while striving for balance. I learned to maneuver in gray areas. And I learned there was no substitute for being out in the field, on the street, at the line — talking with migrants and cops and desperados, the gatekeepers of the secret worlds.

About the Journey
Introduction
By Melissa Ludtke, Editor
Journalists Patrol Ever-Changing Borders
‘… what's going on in Europe today is, literally and figuratively, a border story.’
By Sebastian Rotella
Migrations: The Story of Humanity on the Move
An Essay in Words and Photographs
By Sebastião Salgado
Seeing Stories in What Wasn’t Being Reported
A public radio series explores the growth of the antiracism movement in Europe.
By Phillip W.D. Martin
Monitoring Activities
By Phillip W.D. Martin
Dutch Journalists Alter Their Coverage of Migrants
In the wake of a politician’s murder and the rise of populist politicians, journalists start to report routinely on societal issues related to migrant groups.
By Yvonne van der Heijden and Evert Mathies
Chinese Migrants: Refreshing Reporting About a Longtime Trend
Concerns arise about the Chinese government’s limits on news coverage of migrant protests and worker abuse.
By Mary Kay Magistad
Attempting to Bridge the Divide
‘Entering immigrant America on behalf of an English-language newspaper is, by definition, a cross-cultural experience.’
By Héctor Tobar
Watching a Community Changed by Immigration
With African Americans being displaced by Latinos, news coverage of South Central Los Angeles is inflaming tensions, not informing people.
By Lester Sloan
Documenting Migration's Revolving Door
An Essay in Words and Photographs
By Donna DeCesare
Ethical Dilemmas in Telling Enrique's Story
A reporter talks about the limits of intervening in risky situations and whether to fully identify vulnerable sources.
By Sonia Nazario
Preparing for the Journey
By Sonia Nazario
On the Narrative Approach
By Sonia Nazario
On Ways of the Road
By Sonia Nazario
Immigration to El Norte: Eight Stories of Hope and Peril
An Essay in Words and Photographs
By Don Bartletti
Becoming Part of the Story to Tell It to Others (1 comment)
‘In our approach to gathering this information, we knew there was a fine line between reporting and misrepresentation.’
By Ralph Ortega
The Long Journey Captured in Single Moments
A project about women's global migration found a home in many different media within the Tribune Company.
By Stephen Franklin
Shrinking Space, Tight Budgets — And a Story Needing to Be Told
‘Despite the necessity to trim back on our ambition, we held tight to our vision of sharing the emotion of these women's stories with our readers.’
By Geoff Brown
Immigrants Grapple With Man and ‘The Beast’ (1 comment)
By Heather Stone
The Tribune's Stories Reach a Spanish-Speaking Audience
Using corporate synergy, ‘Crossing Borders’ gets picked up by Hoy newspapers, and Hispanic readers begin to discuss illegal immigration online.
By Alejandro Escalona
A Visual Telling of Immigrants' Stories
Reporters, photographers and videographers combined their skills to create a multimedia presentation with content unique to the online experience.
By John Owens
Reporting on the Deaths of Those Who Make the Journey North
‘With the mounting anti-illegal immigration backlash, readers have complained more and more about the stories we do about the deaths.’
By Susan Carroll
Death in the Desert
By Susan Carroll
Rescue and Death Along the Border
Photo essay by Pat Shannahan
Partnership and Perseverance Result in a Story Rarely Told
Though news coverage of illegal immigration often lacks the essential voices and images of migrant workers, journalists at The Sacramento Bee included both.
By Tom Knudson
The Work of the Undocumented
Photo essay by Hector Amezcua
Diffused Voices Demand Different Coverage
‘If the people aren't demonstrating … reporters need to find them by going to their homes and businesses, asking their opinions to understand their views.’
By Amy Driscoll
Coming Ashore
A photo essay by Nuri Vallbona
Observing the Exodus of Immigrants
‘What happens when a constantly replenishing immigrant group slows down dramatically or simply stops coming?’
By Kevin Cullen
The War of Words
‘The acrimony of the immigration debate testifies to the power of words to divide and ought to serve as a cautionary signal to journalists …’
By Kate Phillips
Don’t ‘Brown’ the Hispanics
A sociologist proposes a new way for journalists to handle the confusing task of using racial and ethnic identifications in news coverage.
By Amitai Etzioni
Data Talk When Reporters Know How to Listen
‘My god, I had no idea newspapers could do this kind of thing!’
By Stephen K. Doig
Learning How Data Work With Reporting
By Stephen K. Doig
The Dangerous Numbers Game in Immigration Coverage
A radio journalist talks about the effects of lazy reporting, ‘opinion journalism,’ and some inherent difficulties in accurately telling this complicated story.
By Ted Robbins
What’s Old Is New Again
A documentary film about immigration reveals historic articles and images with messages familiar to us today.
By Lorie Conway
Words and Reflections: Books and Journalism
Introduction
By Melissa Ludtke, Editor
Doing an Unenviable Job in an Enviable Way
A former ombudsman and media critic describes what Daniel Okrent wrote as public editor and what he has to say about the job he did.
By Mark Jurkowitz
Debunking the Myth of Liberal Media Bias
A journalist and author finds an enfeebled Washington press corps, more concerned with retaining personal access than serving the public interest.
By Barry Sussman
Rethinking Foreign Correspondents' American Dream
‘No foreign news organization has the access, sources or resources to enable them to operate in the same league as domestic journalists.’
By Samuel Rachlin
Journalism: Its Generational Passage
Samuel G. Freedman ‘urges young journalists to be independent thinkers in newsrooms filled with consensus and conformity.’
By Brent Walth
A New Approach to Reaching Young Audiences
Journalists offer well-told stories to teenagers — tailoring the content to suit their reading appetites and enticing them to perhaps find their way to news reporting.
By Judy Stoia
Well-Chosen Words Can Weave Tangled Webs
An increasingly important job of political journalists is to ‘unmask the tricksters.’
By Jules Witcover
The Making of an Obituary Writer — And a Man
‘My words gave readers thousands of moments to remember of little lives well-lived.’
By Jim Nicholson
Lessons of Youth Shape a Writer’s Career
In his memoir, a sportswriter observes his life and times as he delves into issues deserving of journalists’ attention.
By Jim Kaplan
Curator's Corner
Making Visual What Is Often Put Into Words
From the magazine’s pages to its online editions, Nieman Reports is finding new ways to connect with audiences through words and images.
By Bob Giles
Nieman Notes
Poet Donald Hall Inspires Nieman Fellows
‘… even under the tyranny of daily deadlines, journalists can help themselves by thinking like a poet.’
By Mike Pride
A Photojournalist in the Middle East — (1 comment)
By Robert Azzi