The challenges of covering ICE

Local media organizations reporting on federal ICE activity and protests in their communities have had to balance a number of priorities all at once.

First, they are reporting the story, often with limited information, while also protecting themselves in situations that could turn violent. A recent example: amNY photojournalist Dean Moses and two of his colleagues “were physically muscled out of doing their job by the very ICE agents they were covering,” as Michael Oreskes reports for the Chelsea News.

Second, news organizations are going to court to defend their First Amendment rights. A group of Chicago journalists, protesters and other organizations have filed a lawsuit over what the ACLU-Illinois says is an attempt by federal officials to “brutally suppress” free speech at a local ICE facility “through intentional and escalating violence, including the dangerous and indiscriminate use of near-lethal weapons” and other tactics.

As Axios’ Josephine Walker writes, the Chicago journalists are seeking a ruling similar to one issued last month by a federal judge in California, who said ICE was violating freedom of the press “under the guise of protecting the public.”

Third, newsrooms are having to debunk misinformation about their communities and the protests at ICE facilities. In Portland, Oregonian/OregonLive executive editor Laura Gunderson writes, the misinformation has included the publication of AI-generated images or photos that date from years ago as well as a “stream of mischaracterizations” by President Trump. She uses the examples to show the value of local journalism.

News In Focus
Headlines, resources and events aligned with API’s four areas of focus.

Civic Discourse & Democracy

>> Pentagon relaxes press access rules (The New York Times)

New, controversial restrictions the Defense Department had set up for press access to the Pentagon have been “loosened and clarified” after two weeks of negotiations, writes Erik Wemple. Reporters had widely condemned the previous version.

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Culture & Inclusion

>> U.S. ethnic and Indigenous media play critical role in countering disinformation, new ICFJ study finds (International Center for Journalists)

Ethnic and Indigenous newsrooms are especially effective in stopping the spread of false information, according to a new study by the International Center for Journalists. Because of their “deep community ties and well-established credibility,” these outlets are attuned to harmful rumors early on, before they reach wide circulation, the study says.

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Community Engagement & Trust

>> A harm-reduction playbook for covering populists (Reuters Institute)

Populist politicians are rewriting the playbook for politics and journalism, “and we keep giving them oxygen,” writes Michael Hauser Tov. He provides a list of ways that journalists can apply harm-reduction techniques to their reporting, drawing from guidance of Dr. Ayala Panievsky and her new book, The New Censorship: How The War on Media is Taking Us Down.

>> Join us: Influencer collaboration for newsrooms: Strengthening community trust (Indiegraf webinar) 

Indiegraf will be sponsoring a webinar on Oct. 28 at 2 p.m. ET on strategies and frameworks to help you build stronger collaborations with trusted messengers, influencers and community partners. Led by API’s director of product strategy, Liz Worthington, this session is designed for publishers and journalists who want to strengthen their local impact by working more effectively with the people and networks their audiences already trust. Save your seat here.

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Revenue & Resilience

>> Why Paramount paid $150 million for a $20 million media company (Adweek)

In its purchase of the Free Press, Paramount is paying 7.5 times revenue for the outlet, writes Mark Stenberg. That’s “outside of normal economics,” experts told him, explaining that it’s more a strategic acquisition than a financial one.

>> Bob Ross paintings to be auctioned to support public TV stations after federal funding cuts (Associated Press) 

The sale of the 30 paintings will help defray the costs of programming for small and rural public television, Joan Kowalski, president of Bob Ross Inc., told the AP.

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What else you need to know

🔍 See two ways journalists showed their process with Kirk coverage (Trusting News)

🤖 Poynter launches AI Innovation Lab to house its growing AI portfolio (Poynter)

📰 Lee Enterprises cuts Monday print editions at several dailies (Media Post)

⚖️ My reporting led to a landmark lawsuit. The case took 22 years. (The New York Times)