Media panels touched on ethical journalism, protecting immigrants and their role amidst ICE raids

On Thursday evening, the Los Angeles Press Club opened its doors to journalists, editors, media leaders and civil rights advocates to gather and hear firsthand insights, reflections and learning experiences from newsrooms covering the ICE raids and protests in Los Angeles. 

The free event, put together by the LA Reporting Collective (LARC) and the LA Press Club, was titled “Reporting on Immigration: An Evening With Local Journalists” and featured two panels; one was made up of journalists and editors, including Dana Amihere, founder and executive director of AfroLA; Jessica Perez, senior editor of Boyle Heights Beat; Jeremy Lindenfeld, reporter at Capital and Main; and Mariah Castañeda, audience director and co-founder of LA Public Press. The second panel featured Meredith Gallen and Adam Rose, who talked about the Los Angeles Police Department's attacks on journalists. 

The event began with opening remarks from  Ari Saperstein, executive director and founder of LARC, who talked about the emotional, mental and socioeconomic effects of the ongoing ICE raids in communities of color that have accelerated since early June. 

“This is really not just something that is only specific to news stories but really affects us all daily in our lives,” he said.

Rose, who is secretary of the LA Press Club and chairs the Press Rights Committee, talked about the recent lawsuit filed on behalf of the news organization against the Los Angeles Police Department over the treatment of journalists during the anti-ICE raids that took place in Downtown L.A. in early June. 

The lawsuit stated that local police harassed reporters following street demonstrations, all while violating reporters' First and Fourteenth Amendments, as well as state laws intended to limit the use of so-called “less-lethal munitions.”

 ”The whole idea of the First Amendment, the whole idea of a free press, is an informed public. That's what this is all about and democracy doesn't work without that,” he told attendees. 

Gallen, who is a senior staff attorney in the Criminal Justice Project at the ACLU of Southern California, talked about the importance of journalists documenting any assault, violence or violation of their rights from any agency.  ”Take pictures of yourself, just as you would take pictures of another story,” she said. 

She also encouraged journalists to check in with themselves, their hearts and their bodies. 

“All of you are working in very traumatizing circumstances… I know that part of that is that you minimized the things that happened to you because you are called to a vocation and you feel like you need to put that behind you so that you can move forward with your job, but the things that you're experiencing are traumatizing,” she told attendees.

One of the primary topics touched on during the second panel was ethical reporting and caring for one's sources, especially if they are undocumented or part of a mixed-status family. 

Perez at Boyle Heights Beat, Lindenfeld at Capital and Main and Castañeda of  LA Public Press all said the recent ICE raids have sparked new conversations with their staff on how to make sure that, despite informing the public, immigrants are always being protected.  

“So many people in Los Angeles and across the country are terrified right now. And from a reporting perspective, it does produce a fair number of challenges in getting folks to be willing to speak with you because these are such vulnerable moments, such dangerous things that they're talking about. As always, there are different levels of confidentiality that you can offer a source,” Lindenfeld said. “I think the informed consent of it all has been super important because a lot of the time folks at these demonstrations or folks that are directly impacted by immigration enforcement don't fully understand the consequences or the potential consequences of speaking with the press, so it's incumbent on ethical reporters to make sure that they understand the risks that they're putting themselves in.”

For Perez at Boyle Heights Beat, keeping sources safe is also keeping their community safe, as many of their reporters reside or grew up in Boyle Heights. She said the recent ICE raids have encouraged their newsroom to think about the role within the community they serve and the ways partnering with trusted community partners, organizations or local businesses has helped people be more trusting of them. 

“For us, it's an important time to think about our role, our responsibility,” she said. “We see ourselves as part of the community as well and a lot of us have been there for 15 years and people know us and they trust us, but we also have to maintain that responsibility.” 

Castañeda of LA Public Press said it is also important for news partners within certain communities to help educate vulnerable communities on media literacy, safety protocols and how to talk to the media, among other things. 

She said LA Public Press is creating a guide, soon to be published, for community members on what best practices are when talking to journalists and reporters so that they can keep themselves safe. 

“We are all learning this together. As journalists, we don't want to put a target on anyone's back. As media partners with our community, we can elevate that information more to help educate those who are out and about trying to document what is going on,” she said. “Our communities are not content.” 

Next week the Boyle Heights Beat, part of the L.A. Local News Initiative, along with CALÓ News and other local media organizations, is hosting a special event panel: “From Fear to Care: Navigating Mental Health Amid ICE Raids,” which will provide a safe space where attendees can talk about ICE raids, mental health and managing stress during these times. 

The free event, taking place Wednesday, July 30, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., is open to the public and can be joined in person or via Zoom. 

To sign up and learn more about next week’s event, click here.