We are helping journalists better report on and WITH immigrant communities.
For too long, journalists have viewed people from immigrant communities as a niche group served by “ethnic media” rather than an important part of their core audience. Few local news outlets have immigration beat reporters, and outlets that once regularly covered immigrant communities have closed shop. But in a city with a large immigrant population that lives and works alongside non-immigrants, the topic should be covered by all newsrooms in the course of their regular coverage.
The local media’s neglect of immigrant communities is, in part, a reflection of journalism’s roots in white supremacy and the industry’s longtime exclusion of Black, Latinx, Asian, Middle Eastern and Native voices in its reporting and its newsrooms. Immigrant communities are often seen as “the other” when they are covered by the media. But immigrants are deeply rooted in the city of Chicago. Nearly 60 percent of immigrants living in Chicago have lived in the United States for more than 15 years. One in three children in Chicago has at least one immigrant parent.
Our Immigration Reporting Lab aims to help journalists and newsrooms who are ready to take on the hard work of making their immigration reporting more responsive to the needs of their communities.
Would you like us to bring our training workshops to your organization or company? Email info@borderlessmag.org to schedule a 20-minute phone consultation so we can discuss your needs.
Want to get started today? Check out our
