Covering Immigration: ICE, Journalism, and Imperiled Civil Rights

Register! Virtual Panel: Covering Immigration: ICE, Journalism, and Imperiled Civil Rights

Join us for a rapid-response digital dialogue hosted by the Maynard Communities of Practice Program

Join us for a digital dialogue on covering the crisis surrounding immigration enforcement policy, the mandate of journalism, and the erosion of constitutional rights and civil liberties.

Moderated by Maynard Institute Co-Executive Director Martin G. Reynolds, this conversation will feature panelists Andrés Cediel, professor, visiting professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University; Michelle Zenarosa, editor-in-chief at the LA Public Press and Maynard 200 alum; and Christopher Mark Juhn, photojournalist on the ground in Minneapolis and Maynard 200 alum. 

Martin G. Reynolds is co-executive director of the Maynard Institute. He is co-founder of Oakland Voices, a community storytelling project that trains residents to be community correspondents. Before his Maynard fellowship, Martin was senior editor for community engagement and training for 18 years with the Bay Area News Group, and editor-in-chief of the Oakland Tribune between 2008-2011.

Martin was the former director of the Reveal Investigative Fellowships from the Center for Investigative Reporting. He has helped to raise more than millions from foundations to support reporting and community engagement initiatives and conducts Fault Lines® diversity training programs for media companies, colleges and universities.

Professor Andrés Cediel developed immigration training coursework that provides key frameworks on current immigration coverage. An Emmy Award-winning journalist and documentarian, Cediel developed and taught the course “Undocumented America” on how to report on immigration in collaboration with the Ethnic Studies Department at UC Berkeley. He is now a visiting professor at the ASU Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.

Michelle Zenarosa is Editor-in-Chief at LA Public Press, a nonprofit newsroom serving Los Angeles County through community-centered journalism. She has nearly 20 years of journalism experience, previously serving as Deputy Editor at Reckon News, Director of Content at Everyday Feminism, and holding positions at Fusion Media, LA Weekly, and New America Media. A 2023 Maynard 200 Fellow and 2017 Society of Features Journalism Fellow, Michelle also curated the MacArthur Civic Media Fellowship at USC Annenberg. Under her leadership, LA Public Press saw 2,300% audience growth during coverage of federal immigration enforcement operations and was recognized as a Nieman Lab Top 25 nonprofit news site. Michelle wrote for Poynter on protecting domestic reporters in the same way as war correspondents, and ensuring the newsroom had a framework for legal defense, defense against doxxing, and crisis preparation, including personal protective equipment. Michelle created safety protocols and reporting guides now used by newsrooms nationally, and has convened and trained journalists across LA’s independent media landscape on crisis coverage. She begins the IWMF Safety Ambassador program this month.

Christopher Mark Juhn is a photojournalist covering Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in the Twin Cities in Minnesota, and the civilian protests and unrest resulting from widespread warrantless arrests and civil rights violations. He also has covered the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE and CBP agents. Christopher has been covering press briefings, operations by Department of Homeland Security  agents, and community vigils and protests, informing the community.. His work has appeared in the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, Sahan Journal, NPR, the Guardian U.S., Rolling Stone, and Le Point Magazine. 

The panel will examine the legal frameworks and constitutional protections that are intended to guide enforcement activity, alongside realities journalists are witnessing in the field. The discussion will also explore how editors are preparing newsrooms to safely cover ICE activity, and how journalists are caring for themselves while reporting on civil unrest and potential abuses of state power.

This program is open to all journalists and members of the public with an interest in press freedom, civil liberties, and responsible coverage of immigration enforcement. The conversation also reflects the ongoing peer learning and collaboration happening through the Maynard Institute’s Communities of Practice — an alumni network that connects journalists across Maynard programs for continued learning, support, and exchange of expertise.

Due to the sensitive nature of this discussion and our commitment to protecting journalists and vulnerable communities, all registrations are subject to security screening. Registration will remain open until 3 p.m. EST / 12 p.m. PST on February 2. Confirmed participants will receive the Zoom link by email.

For questions about the event, please contact Program Director Odette Alcazaren-Keeley at okeeley@mije.org.