USC Annenberg's Institute for Justice and Journalism to Lead Initiative Focused on Coverage of Immigration

The USC Annenberg Institute for Justice and Journalism has named 12 Fellows for an upcoming MTF-funded program on coverage of immigration. IJJ’s Fellows, selected largely from ethnic news organizations, will take part in a week-long program “Immigration: Reporting the Full Story,” March 16-23. Activities will include field experiences along the U.S.-Mexico border and in-depth discussions with immigration experts and journalists from both countries. The goal of the initiative is to improve and deepen coverage of immigration.

During the week of March 16, the IJJ Fellows and eight other journalists will meet in Tucson and Green Valley, Arizona, with immigration experts before traveling to Sonora, Mexico for field experiences. The Fellows will reconvene on June 1 in New York City for a three-day program funded by Open Society Institute at the IJJ-affiliated Center on Media, Crime and Justice (CMCJ) at John Jay College. The 12 Fellows funded by MTF will be joined by another 12 journalists selected by the CMCJ.

Two of the IJJ Fellows work in broadcast, two in magazine and eight in newspapers. They are:
• Mariana Alvarado Avalos, a reporter for La Estrella de Tucsón
• Fernando Díaz, an investigative reporter for The Chicago Reporter magazine
• Paula Díaz, a reporter for Hoy newspaper in Los Angeles
• Dzung Do, a reporter for Nguoi Viet Daily News in Orange County, California
• J. Emilio Flores, a photojournalist for La Opinión newspaper in Los Angeles
• Karla Gomez-Escamilla, a reporter/anchor for Univision Arizona
• Damaso D. González, a reporter for El Diario/La Prensa in New York City
• Naomi M. Ishisaka, the editor in chief of ColorsNW magazine in Seattle
• Linda Lin, a news manager for Singtao Daily in Los Angeles
• Jorge Morales Almada, a reporter for La Opinión newspaper in Los Angeles
• Rodrigo París, the U.S. and International Editor for Rumbo Newspapers
• David Rodríguez, a reporter for Univision of Puerto Rico

The Fellows will be joined in Arizona by eight of their editors and colleagues:
• Marco Flores of Univision Arizona
• Rui Kaneya of The Chicago Reporter
• Reynaldo Mena of Hoy
• José Merino of La Estrella de Tucsón
• Edwin Rivera of Univision Puerto Rico
• Pedro Rojas of La Opinión
• Jesús Del Toro of Rumbo
• Benjamin Vu of Nguoi Viet Daily News.

Stories generated from this initiative will be posted on the IJJ Web site at www.justicejournalism.org.