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IJJ Seeks Applicants for ‘Immigration in the Heartland’ Program
Application Deadline: February 9, 2010
The Institute for Justice and Journalism, in partnership with the University of Oklahoma’s Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, will award up to 15 fellowships to journalists aiming to report on the complexities of immigration with clarity, depth and context. The program is funded by a grant from the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation.
The program will include discussions with experts, field reporting and professional workshops, beginning in Oklahoma, on Saturday, April 10, and ending in Dallas on Friday, April 16.
Traditional and nontraditional journalists reporting or writing commentary for print, television, radio or online distribution are eligible to apply. Independent journalists and bloggers as well as those employed by news outlets are welcome to submit applications.
Each selected journalist will be responsible for producing an in-depth project story or a series of shorter stories or commentary that will draw from the fellowship experience. In addition to publication or broadcast in the Fellows’ designated outlets, the completed work will be featured on IJJ’s Web site (www.justnews.org).
Travel-related and professional development expenses for the Fellows will be covered by the Institute for Justice and Journalism (IJJ), thanks to the grant from the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation. IJJ also will award a $500 stipend to each selected Fellow to help cover project reporting expenses.
IJJ has conducted a dozen successful fellowship programs, involving more than 200 journalists. Three of the fellowships have focused on immigration issues on the West Coast and East Coast, and on the borderlands of California, Arizona and Mexico. This fellowship will focus on the often contentious issues of immigration in the South, Midwest and other non-border states.
In the last dozen years, millions of people have migrated to the nation’s heartland from Latin America and other regions. Their willingness to work for low wages in fields and factories bolstered many local economies. At the same time, the arrival of the new immigrants, many of them undocumented, has engendered tension and political polarization in a number of communities. These developments have played out amid a raging national debate on illegal immigration and a declining economic picture.
With resources at news organizations stretched thin, it has become more challenging than ever for journalists to undertake in-depth reporting projects. The IJJ fellowship experience will quickly enhance journalists' and commentators’ expertise on this subject and provide resources for more sophisticated exploration of the topic.
The Fellows’ stories “will help inform both policymakers and the public about significant issues relating to immigration in the nation’s heartland,” said Steve Montiel, IJJ board president.
IJJ Senior Fellow Warren Vieth, a visiting professor at the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, is serving as project director. Working with Vieth, a former Los Angeles Times reporter and editor, on the program will be Frank O. Sotomayor of the IJJ staff and three IJJ Senior Fellows: Daniel Kowalski, an immigration attorney who is editor-in-chief of Bender’s Immigration Bulletin; Julio César Ortiz, a reporter at KMEX-TV Univision 34 in Los Angeles, and Dianne Solis, a senior writer at the Dallas Morning News.
During five days of conference sessions and field reporting in Oklahoma, the Fellows will meet with experts and advocates reflecting various perspectives on immigration. They will also take part in workshops on digital tools for gathering and distributing information and on journalistic ethics issues in immigration coverage. On April 14, they will travel to Dallas to observe federal immigration court sessions.
An applicant employed by a media outlet must get the signed consent of a supervisor to take part. Independent journalists or bloggers are eligible to apply only if they present a viable plan for publication, broadcast or online posting. See guidelines for terms and requirements.
The application form and guidelines can be downloaded from links below. All application materials must be received by 5 p.m. on February 9, 2010. Address any questions to ijj@justnews.com.
OU’s Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, in Norman, Okla., offers course work in three main focus areas: journalism, media arts and strategic communication.
The Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation was established by Edith Kinney Gaylord to support projects designed to improve the quality and ethical standards of journalism.
After nine years of affiliation with the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication, the Institute for Justice and Journalism became an independent, tax-exempt entity in 2009. IJJ supports in-depth reporting and commentary through its Justice and Journalism Fund, fellowships and professional development workshops. Its justnews.org Web site provides reporting resources to strengthen journalism about justice issues.
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