About the Fellowship
Covering Immigration was created during the Reynolds Journalism Institute Fellowship by journalist Claudia Yaujar-Amaro. The fellowship provided the time, space, and support to build a public resource addressing one of the most persistent gaps in journalism: the lack of practical, ethical tools for covering immigration—especially at the local level.
Why This Project Exists
Immigration is one of the most consequential issues in the United States, yet it is often covered only during moments of crisis or controversy. Many journalists are asked to report on immigration without training in immigration systems, legal terminology, data interpretation, or source protection. This can lead to incomplete coverage, misinformation, or harm to vulnerable communities.
Covering Immigration was built to change that.
What We Built
The fellowship focused on creating shared journalism infrastructure, not just stories. The result is a free, bilingual, open-source toolkit designed to help journalists:
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Cover immigration with accuracy and context
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Protect vulnerable and undocumented sources
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Avoid harmful or criminalizing language
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Understand immigration systems in plain language
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Move beyond crisis-driven narratives to root causes and accountability
The toolkit includes reporting checklists, story templates, fact-checking and data guidance, ethics and source-protection tools, investigative frameworks, and ready-to-use visuals.
Claudia Yaujar-Amaro is a bilingual journalist and Reynolds Journalism Institute Fellow, and the founder and editor-in-chief of Planeta Venus, a Kansas-based bilingual newsroom. She created Covering Immigration to equip journalists with practical, ethical, and community-centered tools for immigration coverage.
Eileen Truax is an immigration journalist and author whose work focuses on migration, human rights, and cross-border issues. She brings deep reporting experience and a transnational perspective to strengthening immigration coverage.
Prerna Lal is an immigration attorney and longtime advocate for immigrant and Dreamer communities. She contributes legal expertise and movement-informed insights to ensure accuracy and responsible framing.
Factchequeado is a bilingual fact-checking organization dedicated to countering misinformation affecting Latino and Spanish-speaking communities. The organization contributes verification expertise and resources to strengthen accurate immigration reporting.
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We also welcome any suggestions to improve this tool!
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