Reporting Strategies: Crossing Barriers, Finding Stories

 

As this country of immigrants becomes more racially and ethnically diverse, and debates sharpen over issues such as border control and English-language resolutions, journalists must work harder to craft stories that engage audiences rather than play into stereotypes.

One way to find that path? “Listen to the screamers” said Mary Sanchez, a syndicated Knight Ridder columnist based in Kansas City. By that, Sanchez means the vocal, vociferous and perhaps profane readers who call or write to complain about “favorable” coverage given to immigrants.

 

“They’re asking things in an offensive way that a lot of people need to know,” she said. “If you listen hard enough you can figure out what it is about these immigrant experiences they don’t know. …Like ‘how come they can’t come here legally?’ Most U.S. people have no idea that it’s virtually impossible to come here legally because there are so few visas available.” (See the federal guidelines on temporary visas.)

 

Identifying deeply held biases and frustrations can give you good story ideas. The next challenge is telling a story with depth and sensitivity. For Veena Merchant, editor of News India-Times, that can require understanding that “American” does not mean “white.” She said longtime U.S. residents and even second generation citizens who aren’t white are often thought of as cultural newcomers. “They re fed up with being treated as immigrants; when we are going to be treated as mainstream?” asked Merchant. She adds that reporters need to avoid perpetuating the “model minority” stereotype, which can demean the experience of immigrants who have worked hard to quickly assimilate into U.S. culture.

 

• One way to tell stories that ring true is to find “fixers” --  guides who are trusted by immigrant groups and willing to introduce reporters to people in the community. Another is to keep up with the local ethnic media. “In ethnic papers, journalists are advocates for their communities,” said Juana Ponce de Leon who heads Voices That Must Be Heard, an online digest of New York's independent press. The sense of trust that ethnic media build with their audience can help mainstream media learn about important issues and make contacts. (If you do take a story idea, give credit where appropriate.) Another good source to locate ethnic media is NewAmericaMedia.org.

 

• Consider a formal collaboration with the ethnic press WNYC, public radio in New York, collaborated with ethnic media reporters for the “Feet in Two Worlds” project. By reaching out to print reporters at varied ethnic publications and mentoring them in the production of radio stories, the station formed new journalistic relationships and energized its own coverage of immigrant communities, said WNYC reporter Cindy Rodriguez. In one story, Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska of the Polish Daily News, brought listeners inside a Brooklyn pharmacy that caters to Poles. Polish doctors can’t work as medical doctors in the U.S., but here, they dispense medical advice and create a vibrant sense of community for immigrants hungry for a touch of home.

 

In a story she found on her own, Cindy Rodriguez introduced listeners to the business of videoconferencing services for immigrants and faraway family. Rodriguez taped an emotional virtual reunion between parents who left their twin children behind when they moved to the U.S. from Ecuador 14 years ago. On the twins’ 16^th birthday, they and their parents laid eyes on each other for the first time since their parting, and the teens met their younger siblings who were born in the U.S.

 

• Watch your language.

For stories that ring true, make sure you understand the terms used by an ethnic population. One resource: "Latinos in the United States: A Resource Guide for Journalists,"

is published by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and includes a glossary for Latino communities.

 

• Look for stories where people rub elbows

As new communities emerge, said author and freelance reporter Paul Cuadros, watch for tensions between immigrants and the local poor over community-based services. Organizers may want to develop services that are culturally sensitive to encourage newcomers to show up for medical check-ups, for example. Populations that may not have a language barrier, but face other obstacles in getting the services they need, may resent the attention given immigrants. How will that play out?

 

• “How would this affect an immigrant?”

Look for the immigrant angle for stories from your beat, such as these from education:

 

• High school exit exams.
  You know how the school did overall but what about results for newly immigrant students, asked conference panelist Peuong Vongs of Pacific News Service. Exit exams can be tougher than tests required by the No Child Left Behind act; can student pass exit exams without being proficient in English? (See the report, "High School Exit Exams: Effects on Traditionally Underserved Students," from the Center on Education Policy.) Vongs added that some school boards require their elected members to be citizens, despite the growing number of immigrant families represented in the student body.

 

• What happens when there are cuts in school spending? Because they are often economically and socially vulnerable, immigrants can be on the receiving end of a host of consequences when cuts are made. One writer discovered that a California school district hired less than qualified teachers – at a cut rate – to teach English to non-native speakers. The poor quality of instruction was only discovered when it came time to move the students to regular English classes. Short-term savings for the school system turned into a bigger headache for other teachers, and a discouragement and waste of time for students who needed real help.