Institute for Justice and Journalism names 10 border justice fellows

The Institute for Justice and Journalism (IJJ) at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism has awarded fellowships to 10 journalists committed to producing in-depth stories on immigration and border policy under the theme of "Border Crossings: Policy, Practice and Politics."

During the fellowship period, which begins January 9, 2006, the Border Justice Fellows will work on individual and team projects that will appear in their newspaper, wire service, television, radio and online outlets. The multimedia team project will involve journalists from the Charlotte Observer, its Charlotte.com website and WCNC-TV, the Belo Corp.-owned NBC affiliate in Charlotte. USC Annenberg’s Institute for Justice and Journalism 2006 Border Justice Fellows are:

  • Dudley Althaus, Mexico City Bureau Chief, Houston Chronicle
  • Elizabeth Chandler, Investigative Reporter, The Charlotte Observer
  • Danica Coto, General Assignment Reporter, The Charlotte Observer
  • Galia Garcia-Palafox, Staff Reporter, Rumbo newspaper, Houston
  • Claudine LoMonaco, Border and Immigration Reporter, Tucson Citizen; KUAZ–FM
  • Fernando Pizarro, Washington Correspondent, Univision Television Group
  • Patrick Schneider, Photojournalist, The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte.com)
  • Elliott Spagat, Staff Writer, The Associated Press, San Diego
  • Linda Valdez, Editorial Writer, The Arizona Republic
  • Stuart Watson, Investigative Reporter, WCNC-TV, Charlotte

Led by IJJ Senior Fellow Marc Cooper (pictured), contributing editor of The Nation magazine, the Border Justice Fellows will participate in a Tucson-based series of seminars and field trips January 9-16, 2006. They will meet with scholars, policy experts, elected officials and veteran journalists on both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border. The field trips will include study of U.S. border installations, Mexican "sender" communities, federal immigration courts and detention centers. The Fellows will reconvene in June 2006 to review their projects with editors, fellowship colleagues and IJJ staff. The Institute for Justice and Journalism, created at the USC Annenberg School of Journalism in 2000 with Ford Foundation funding, supports in-depth journalism about justice issues.

Additional information about the institute is available at the IJJ website (www.justicejournalism.org).
Institute for Justice and Journalism Web site