Month: August 2020

For the semester I would be interested in focusing on “non-traditional students” in New York City. What I mean by non-traditional is international students as well as undocumented students. Being an international student myself, the last few months have been a rollercoaster of emotions with the concerns of being away from home in a country by myself and then in summer to face deportation if classes were to remain fully online. Being part of this community for 2 years now has enabled me to meet students who come from all over the globe and to broaden the way I see the world. I have also met many students who are here without documents and who still fight for their dreams, which oftentimes is very inspiring. When it comes to what I would want to report about them, I am not quite sure yet but I believe that 2020 is a challenging year for everyone and I’m sure great stories can come from this among the population I want to focus on. The coming election are also very important for both these populations as the results could influence their stay in the USA. While I know undocumented students and have resourced based in my previous school (BMCC) I would report about this population only if they agree to or without giving out names for their protection.

I like writing profiles and if this format fits the class then I would like to present my stories in this way, or maybe with photography.

Otherwise I am also thinking about writing about my native country, France. Ever since I moved to the USA I have focused more on what is going here, forgetting to regularly check the news back home and this class could be an opportunity to do so. I am familiar with reliable sources such as Le Monde, 20minutes, Le Parisien etc and French TV channels. I also have friends and family spread out who I could get contacts from. The only down side of this part is that I am not sure which specific topic I could focus on but am open to any recommendations from my classmates if there are things they think should be covered about France.

For this semester, I would be interested in covering the Dominican Republic as well as the Dominican community in New York City. From the Table 2-2 shared on the class blog, Dominicans are the highest foreign-born population in New York City. Many Dominican immigrants are concentrated in the Washington Heights neighborhood in upper Manhattan; however, many Dominicans have been moving out of the neighborhood and into boroughs such as The Bronx as a result of gentrification. I would be interested in covering stories about gentrification in the neighborhood; specifically, I am interested in profiling older Dominicans who are still living in Washington Heights and how they are coping with rising rent prices. Moreover, I am also interested in covering the coronavirus and how Dominicans have been impacted by the pandemic. A recent article from The Patch shows that Washington Heights has the highest positive antibody rates in the borough of Manhattan which tells us that the neighborhood has been highly impacted by Covid-19.

Other than covering these topics, I am especially interested in writing feature stories on some Dominican change-makers and organizations. For example, Franchesca Feliz is a longtime Washington Heights resident that is preserving the culture of the neighborhood through her initiative, Uptown Girl Productions. I am also interested in speaking with the Dominican photographer of an image of demonstrators holding together a Dominican and Haitian flag during a Black Lives Matter protest in Washington Heights this summer. The image sparked a lot of controversy, which speaks a lot to Dominican and Haitian relations and the long held antihaitianismo in the Dominican Republic. Cardi B even had to defend sharing the image on her social media because of the uproar.

There are many other people and topics I would like to cover, but I want to keep this post short. In order to find sources, I will consult other Dominican journalists in my network, friends and family, as well as social media.

For this semester I would like to focus on the United Kingdom. The reason why I chose this country to be the focus of my reporting are the tensions surrounding the recent increase in migrations. From this there is an assumption that it is resulting in permanent cultural changes that are to the betterment or detriment to the country depending on whom you speak to. Some of this stigma has been attributed to the increase in conservative power in government, as well as the vote to leave the European Union.

The United Kingdom is not alone in this sentiment, with many other countries seeing a similar trend. This is a rise in conservative power and increased opposition to migration. For this research, I will reach out to multiple groups, such as political parties,  who have made their position known. I also hope to speak to a variety of people who currently live in the country and how they perceive migration. Getting data about the number of migrants coming into the country will also be imperative.

This issue is not new, this has existed for decades within the country. It started out as an issue that only 4% of the population worried about and has since increase to 48% of the population having concern over the amount of immigrants entering the country.

For this class, I would be very interested in doing reports on Mexican communities in New York City, as well as possibly certain reports on issues in Mexico. I am half Mexican, and I did see several relatives pass away this year due to Covid-19. I know that I can get many relevant stories about how the Coronavirus pandemic affected Mexican families in New York City. And, I also can get stories from within the country of Mexico, pertaining to how Covid-19 affected people there. I would be able to conduct video interviews through Skype and/or Zoom. Like I mentioned in the initial Zoom meeting, I do have experience with photography and videography, so it is a possibility for me to record and use certain media. Or, I would write very relevant and hard hitting reports of what I have researched. The issues I could reveal would be issues with Coronavirus in the Mexican/Hispanic communities of NYC, problems with kids going back to school, essential workers having to report to work everyday, and the loss of so many family members due to this unprecedented pandemic that turned all of our worlds into living nightmares. Additionally, I know people in my family who lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and they are now struggling to find new jobs, or they are taking hiatuses from working, all because of their fear of potentially catching the Covid-19 strain of Coronavirus. This pandemic brought on by Coronavirus has destructed so many people’s lives and daily ways of living. I firmly believe I can make great and timely journalistic reports based on this community.

Introductions

Professor Emily H. Johnson

Syllabus

International Reporting Syllabus

The life of a foreign correspondent is full of new horizons and surprises, risks and frustrations, and unrivaled opportunities to create rich journalistic work. The goal of this course is to prepare you to step into that role by reporting real international stories here in New York City.

Each student will choose one country (or nation) as a primary focus and will report on issues involving that country throughout the semester. By the end of the course, you will have spoken to a diverse array of sources, compiled in-depth knowledge of the country’s geopolitical significance, and defined issues and the major stories unfolding there. You will become familiar with the local media of that country and be able to speak knowledgeably about its successes and failures. You will spend time reporting in immigrant communities, interview people abroad via Skype, and learn about many international agencies and organizations, including the United Nations. You will also learn best practices for reporting safely and responsibly across languages and cultures and in remote places.

You will produce three stories over the course of the semester, along with other assignments. This course is not medium-specific, and you are free to focus on video, radio or photojournalism — if you can demonstrate competency — rather than writing.

Discussion: The state of international reporting in 2020

It used to be that even smaller newspapers had foreign correspondents, but in the digital era the old models have fallen by the wayside. These days, the “big four” of American print (NYT, WaPo, WSJ, and L.A. Times) still have overseas reporters but most other papers rely on wire copy for their international stories. Meanwhile, the places opening foreign bureaus are new media organizations like Buzzfeed (which is actually doing some incredible journalism).

What does this mean for aspiring journalists who have their hearts set on working abroad? It means that there has been an industry-wide shift toward reliance on freelance content, which is fantastic news for anyone who is willing to take the risk of just picking up and going somewhere and trying to make it on their own. There are certainly still overseas staff jobs, but they’re harder to get; not impossible, but the bulk of the opportunities are on the freelance side.

The last few years have also been a notably dangerous time for journalists around the world. Press freedom is an increasingly fragile thing, even here in the United States.

Student introductions.

What are you hoping to get out of this class, and what would your dream journalism job be? (Either full-time job or story assignment.)

Discuss

How to do a local angle on an international story? How are events overseas affecting people here? Alternatively, what are some issues that are unique to the immigrant community here in New York?

Examples

The earthquake in Haiti:

Voodoo, An Anchor, Rises Again

Haitians Struggle to Make New Lives in New York

Trump’s executive order on immigration:

Students Stranded Worldwide By Trump Order

NYC Taxi Drivers Stage Airport Strike to Protest Trump’s “Inhumane & Cruel” Executive Order

Fidel Castro’s death:

Cubans in Louisville, Ky., Quietly Mark Castro’s Death

Miami’s Cuban Exiles Celebrate Castro’s Death

Puerto Rico debt crisis:

For New York Puerto Ricans, debt crisis begins to hit home

Suicides Soar Among New York Koreans

Immigrant profiles:

In New York, Mexico’s richest immigrants lend hand to their countrymen

 

Best Places to Look for Story Ideas and Reporting Resources

Organizations that have a local office: Afghan Women’s Writing Project

Facebook events and pages: Yemeni Businesses Shut Down & Rally Against “Muslim Ban” and “Religious Organizations in Flushing, New York”

Community groups: American Indian Community House

Consulates and embassies

Restaurants and shops

Google’s news tab

Twitter

 

FOR NEXT CLASS:

Read “The Myth of the Reckless Young Freelancer” by Anna Day and come prepared to discuss.

Also, decide which country/NYC immigrant community you would like to cover this semester and do some preliminary research into the types of stories you would likely be able to cover from here in New York. Write a blog post of about 250 words detailing which country/nation/community you would like to cover (or which ones you’re deciding between) and some of the pertinent resources and sources that would likely be available to you here.

Some ideas/resources:

New York’s Neighborhoods By Ethnicity

The Newest New Yorkers

18 Ethnic Micro Neighborhoods in NYC