Reporting on the INS

Journalists who devote considerable time to coverage of immigration and investigation of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) write about why they report on a topic that rarely makes Page One. They also share experiences in how they’ve reported these stories, especially in the wake of the terrorist attacks. Arguably, this is one of the more difficult beats given the secrecy with which the INS guards much of what it does—a secrecy that some news organizations are now challenging on constitutional grounds. – Melissa Ludtke, Editor

Reporting on the INS: Introduction
By Melissa Ludtke, Editor; Investigating What Happens to Refugees in INS Detention
This is the kind of story that ‘many of us entered journalism to do.’
By Rick Tulsky; ‘Freedom of the Press Becomes a River Without Water’
An attorney describes the fight for access to news in a post-September 11 world.
By Herschel P. Fink; The People’s Right to Know vs. Government Secrecy
An immigration reporter joins a legal case to gain access to court hearings.
By Hilary Burke; Challenging the Reporting Limits Imposed By the INS
For asking an ‘inappropriate’ question, a reporter’s access is curtailed.
By Mark Dow; Why Reporters Should Want to Cover Immigration (1 comment)
It’s a big and important story. Editors don’t interfere much. And the public cares about the issues.
By Patrick J. McDonnell; Covering the INS in South Florida
‘Without dogged media pursuit, little will change the INS culture of impunity.’
By Susana Barciela; Documenting How INS Detainees Are Treated (1 comment)
By Steven Rubin; Reporting on Children Held in INS Detention
‘It was this human contact that gave us the ability to get to the heart of his story.’
By Chris L. Jenkins; The Press Paid Little Attention When the Immigration Act Was Passed
By personalizing cases of injustice, a columnist connects readers to its consequences.
By Anthony Lewis; The Oregonian Investigates Mistreatment of Foreigners
Reporters uncover ‘a world of racism, sexism and questionable conduct.’
By Richard Read
Words & Reflections: Introduction
By Melissa Ludtke, Editor; The Consequences of Corporate Ownership
‘Our democracy is in crisis from the loss of independent voices serving as its watchdog.’
By Frank A. Blethen; A Rigorous Look at the Work of Newsrooms Today
In this era of bottom-line journalism, the authors document how quality in news reporting can triumph.
By Seth Effron; A War Correspondent Tries to Make Sense of What He’s Seen (1 comment)
‘Why, he wanted to know, do human beings fight wars?’
By Nancy Bernhard; The Vital Role of the Press in a Time of National Crisis
‘Watchdog journalism begins with a state of mind: accepting responsibility as a surrogate for the public.’
Remarks From an Address by Bob Giles
Journalist’s Trade: Journalism Education: Introduction
By Melissa Ludtke, Editor; The Worthiness of Bollinger’s Challenge
‘For craft training to be accorded due respect does not mean all else must be shunned.’
By Geneva Overholser; What Should Be Taught in Journalism Schools?
An aspiring reporter ‘doesn’t need to learn how—he needs to learn what.’
By Melvin Mencher; Melding the Competing Demands of Basic Skills and Emerging Issues in Journalism
At Berkeley, a professor is using Weblogs as a new approach to teaching both.
By Paul Grabowicz; The Bridge Between the Classroom and Journalism
The purpose of journalism education can’t be addressed without determining why journalists do what they do.
By William F. Woo; Journalism’s Road to Becoming a Profession
There are key roles for educators to play in this transformation.
By Philip Meyer; What Journalism Schools Do Best
Important lessons are taught in the much-maligned ‘skills courses.’
By Nancy Day; Passing Along the Magic of Journalism
Journalism stands apart from other academic pursuits.
By Dale Maharidge
Curator’s Corner: Creating a New Web of Connections
The Nieman Web site will be home to valuable information about journalism.
By Bob Giles
Nieman Notes: The Maynard Institute: 25 Years and 2,000 Journalists Later
Its innovative training programs shape the careers of many minority journalists.
By Bryan Monroe

Environment Reporting: Introduction
By Melissa Ludtke, Editor; Complexity in Environment Reporting Is Critical to Public Decision-Making
‘…the craft is now firmly entrenched as a key beat in American journalism.’
By Paul Rogers; The Environment Beat’s Rocky Terrain
Editors often don’t see these stories as ‘traditional news,’ and reporters tread on sensitive ground inside the newsroom.
By Philip Shabecoff; The Beat Is a Tougher One Today
Reporting on the environment requires more and better training of those who do it.
By James Bruggers; A New Kind of Environment Reporting Is Needed (2 comments)
Blending objectivity with advocacy to arrive at sustainable journalism.
By Jim Detjen; Environment Journalists Don’t Get Much Respect
‘… the environment beat is so far down the journalistic pecking order that if it were alive it would be an amoeba.’
By Bud Ward; Connecting the Human Condition to Environmental Destruction
‘… I kept my camera’s eye fixed on the haunting faces of children.’
By Stan Grossfeld; Missing the ‘Big Story’ in Environment Coverage
‘… if we don’t do a better job of telling the story, devastation of the environment will be partly our fault.’
By Charles Alexander; The Environment Beat in the Nation’s Capital
Reporters sort through promises of politicians and claims of advocates.
By Margaret Kriz; A Government Agency Impedes Access to Information
What right do the public and journalists have to see data about children’s health and the environment?
By Joseph A. Davis; Journalists Can Be Seduced By Aspects of Risk
By understanding how and why people perceive risks, reporters and editors can cover risk-related issues with more caution and balance.
By David Ropeik; Understanding Factors of Risk Perception
By David Ropeik; After September 11, Headlines About Air Quality Were Everywhere
A reporter explains his misgivings about this complicated story.
By Dan Fagin; The Press Portrayed the Story as Fish vs. Farmers
But the Klamath River story is a whole lot more complicated than that.
By Michael Milstein; Photojournalism and Environment Stories (3 comments)
A photographer’s work ‘explores the increasingly complex relationship between people and the environment.’
By Natalie Fobes; Blue Earth Alliance
By Natalie Fobes; Connecting Scientific Data to Real Consequences for People
Power, passion and accountability are key ingredients of environment stories.
By Tom Henry; Newsroom Issues Affect Environment Coverage
‘One of our bigger problems can be our own employers.’
By Peter Lord; Training for Environment Writers
Compiled by Paul Rogers; Covering Breaking News on the Environment Beat
At The (Baltimore) Sun, a city disaster leads to new investigations.
By Timothy Wheeler; Networks Aren’t Tuned in to the Environment
By using storytelling to illuminate issues, ‘we tricked everyday viewers into paying attention to environmental news.’
By Natalie Pawelski; Radio Uses Sound and Script to Transport Listeners to a Place
‘In environmental reporting, nothing is more elemental than the sense of place.’
By Peter Thomson; A Beat About Business and the Environment
A broadcast journalist starts to see stories through a more complicated lens.
By Christy George; Fighting to Get Environment Stories on Television
A veteran journalist uses fresh strategies with editors.
By Jacques A. Rivard; Using a Camera to Document Global Warming
‘This is a magnificent and urgent story just beginning to be told.’
By Gary Braasch; Antarctica
A Photo Essay By Gary Braasch; The Arctic
A Photo Essay By Gary Braasch; Glaciers and Sea Level Change
A Photo Essay By Gary Braasch; Covering the Environment From Rio to Johannesburg and Beyond
A Brazilian journalist describes his frustration with the beat.
By Marcelo Leite; Environment Reporting in China
There is government control and strained finances, but coverage of the environment is flourishing.
By Sun Yu; Reluctance to Read News About the Environment
‘…trying to convince people about the importance of protecting the environment sometimes falls on deaf ears.’
By Nanise Fifita; Satellite Imagery for Environment Reporting
Journalists can use these images and data to report and illustrate stories.
By Claire Parkinson; Finding Environmental Satellite Images on the Web

What are people saying?: Photojournalism and Environment Stories (3 comments)
By Natalie Fobes; A New Kind of Environment Reporting Is Needed (2 comments)
By Jim Detjen; Why Reporters Should Want to Cover Immigration (1 comment)
By Patrick J. McDonnell; Documenting How INS Detainees Are Treated (1 comment)
By Steven Rubin; A War Correspondent Tries to Make Sense of What He’s Seen (1 comment)
By Nancy Bernhard

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