Passaic Today

As the 2024 presidential race intensifies, Montclair State University journalism students’ reporting on the migrant crisis is being shared on NBCU Academy’s national platform. Highlighting one of the election’s key issues, these immigration stories capture the students’ experiences while interviewing aid workers and asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The “Empathy in Journalism: Reporting on Migrants at the Border” video, the first of three to be featured on NBCU Academy's website and YouTube Channel, was produced last spring as part of a multimedia package titled “Arizona Stories: Border, Water and Politics.” The series addresses topics such as the border wall crisis, migrant desert encampments, and young voters’ perspectives on the upcoming election. It was produced for the course On the Road: Reporting from the Field. Another piece, “My Election Story Took an Unexpected Turn. Here’s How I Handled It,” is also published on NBCU Academy.

The approaching election offers numerous opportunities for public-minded students. At Montclair, this includes #FocusDemocracy, a student-run project from the School of Communication and Media that focuses on what Gen Z considers crucial issues in the 2024 election. Available to stream on Hawk+, Montclair's digital platform, this project features detailed reports, journalist interviews, student roundtables, and a social media sentiment analysis. The students were guided by NewsLab Coordinator Mark Effron.

This fall, News Producer Steve McCarthy will lead a new On the Road class to Pennsylvania to report on the presidential election from Pittsburgh and Philadelphia for #FocusDemocracy.

A spring break trip to the Arizona border led by McCarthy and Associate Professor Thomas Franklin prompted students to reflect on identity and shared history while connecting with their sources.

“Our team knew that reporting about the border would require a lot of care and empathy. We took that role seriously, especially because some of us are the children and grandchildren of immigrants,” writes Dani Mazariegos, a rising senior, in a blog accompanying their report.

For two first-generation students, reporting from the border brought up many emotions.

“It was hard being at the border, not only because we were touched by these migrants desperate for a better life on our side of the wall but because we kept seeing our parents, even though the details of their stories and how they got here were different,” says Aylin Alvarez-Santiago ’24. “I called my dad immediately and thanked him for every single bit of sacrifice.”

Jennifer Sanchez, a rising senior whose family is from Guayaquil, Ecuador, says she had to step away from an interview at one point due to overwhelming emotions. “I couldn’t hold in my feelings the whole time.”

Their reflections are included in NBCU Academy’s “Head of the Class,” which highlights original reporting by student journalists. Montclair State University is among NBCU Academy’s 45 academic partners receiving funding and resources to train future journalists. Students gain experience working with professionals from NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC, and Telemundo.

“I’m very proud of this group of young journalists and content creators,” McCarthy states. “They worked hard to prepare for the trip, distinguished themselves in production fieldwork, and excelled in post-production.”

Story by Staff Writer Marilyn Joyce Lehren.

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