14 Journalists Chosen for 2012 Immigration Fellowship

With immigration policy front and center in this year’s political campaigns, 14 journalists have been selected to take part in a fellowship program that challenges reporters to go beyond familiar sound bites and cover the complexities of immigration with depth and context. The 2012 Immigration in the Heartland program is being conducted by the Institute for Justice and Journalism in partnership with the University of Oklahoma’s Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication and its Institute for Research and Training.

An April 20-25 conference will feature discussions with experts, field reporting and professional workshops at Gaylord College in Norman and in Oklahoma City. Issues to be explored include the election-year debate over immigration policy, the electoral impact of immigrants, the demographics of immigration, new developments in state legislation and the effect of federal, state and local enforcement programs.

The selected journalists, from print, broadcast and online reporting sites, are:

• Graham Brewer, Oklahoma Watch

• Kate Brumback, Associated Press, Atlanta

• Cindy Carcamo, Orange County Register, Santa Ana, Calif.

• Kristen Hare, St. Louis Beacon

• Sandra Hernandez, Los Angeles Times

• Jude Joffe-Block, KNPR Nevada Public Radio, Las Vegas

• Maria Martin, freelancer, NPR and Latino USA, Antigua, Guatemala

• David Montero, Salt Lake Tribune

• Monica Ortiz Uribe, KRWG Radio, Las Cruces, N.M.

• Erica Pearson, New York Daily News

• Jeremy Redmon, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

• Edward Sifuentes, North County Times, San Diego

• Jessica Weisberg, freelancer, the Guardian (U.K.), Chicago

• Maria Zamudio, The Chicago Reporter

KJ