Selection and Eligibility

Seven journalists from the U.S. Spanish-language media, seven from U.S. English-language news organizations and seven from Latin American media will be selected. Journalists with proven record of covering immigration issues from the print, radio, television or on-line media are eligible to participate. The program will be conducted primarily in Spanish, with simultaneous interpretation for non-Spanish speakers.

The immigration coverage program is competitive, and participants are selected and recruited according to several criteria:

• Al least 3 years of experience as a journalist;
• Strong commitment to reporting issues related to immigration and its impact in the community and abroad;
• A spirit of adventure and a curiosity about the link between global issues and the local community; and
• Enthusiasm for and understanding of the mission of the training program.

For applicants from Latin America, preference will be given to those from countries that have large-scale immigration to the United States and do not have overseas correspondents.  For applicants in the United States, preference will be given to journalists working for Spanish-language media or from community-based news organizations in cities impacted by immigration.

The seminar portion of the program will include:

• Informational sessions featuring experts on immigration policy, legal issues, etc.;
• Training sessions on in-depth reporting about legal, social, business and consumer issues, featuring hands-on exercises;
• Panel discussions about current issues in immigration featuring a range of advocates from those promoting greater amnesty to those favoring tougher sanctions;
• Field trips to such places as health clinics or day-laborer gathering spots (often monitored by anti-immigration activists) in which journalists would report under the guidance of trainers;
• Visits to media, government and non-profit institutions such as The Washington Post and its Spanish-language daily, the U.S. Congress and the National Council of La Raza.
• Discussions of journalism ethics while covering immigration issues, including such topics as anonymous sources, fairness and balance, and hidden cameras;
• Brainstorming sessions on stories the participants will pursue during the reporting phase of the program.

After the seminar, journalists will be expected to conduct reporting in the Washington area as part of the training, producing stories for their news organizations. The trainers will be available for coaching and editing.