Staying safe reporting along the U.S.-Mexico border
UW communication student attends idea-sharing workshop
November 9, 2010
Meg Spratt, right, of Dart Center West attends a workshop about teaching border reporting in October.
Journalism educators from 10 universities and five states assembled on Oct. 1 at the University of Arizona in Tucson to discuss the issues and challenges involved with teaching border reporting along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The weekend workshop was organized by Dart Center West, the academic programs office of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, which is housed in the UW Department of Communication and the University of Arizona with support from the UW Center for Global Studies.
The workshop participants all were experts on the subject, so the combined experience and expertise on hand was impressive. Activities throughout the weekend included a documentary screening, group discussion, and brainstorming.
In the spacious conference room, full of respected educators from across the Southwest, I was the one undergraduate student from the University of Washington. As a senior communication major, I feel extremely fortunate to have been included in the workshop. The prior weeks had been spent as a student assistant to Dart Associate Director of Academic Programs Meg Spratt. I became involved with the Dart Center after taking a communication course from Meg and discovering the link between my degree and Dart’s central mission of promoting informed, ethical reporting on violence, conflict and tragedy. With my minor in Spanish, I found working on the Border Reporting workshop a perfect blend of my two academic passions.
The Friday of my first “business trip” to Tucson, I had the opportunity to have dinner with the educators participating in the conference. I was a little nervous about being able to keep up with the conversation. However, I was surprised at how much I was able to contribute in referencing numerous scholarly articles I had reluctantly read for my communication courses. My excitement for the next day surpassed any of my worries about being the only student at the table.
On Saturday morning, I attentively recorded discussion topics and documented significant quotes. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be an observer in that type of setting. Few undergraduate students have the opportunity to hear a frank and open conversation between professors. I found it quite fascinating. From serious conversations about the dangers of reporting the border to funny anecdotes about teaching, the discourse transformed and evolved throughout the day.
The workshop began with the difficult task of defining the issues surrounding border reporting. It became apparent that the challenges were strikingly different for educators and students. Within a few short minutes, more than 25 challenges had been scrawled onto the board. After taking some time to reflect on the lengthy list, it became clear to all that the workshop was a necessity and coming up with any sort of solution would require the intellect and input of all in attendance. For the remainder of the day, the group discussed many aspects of safety and security as well as trauma reactions. We were also fortunate enough to welcome two expert guest speakers: Michael Marizco, a seasoned journalist, and Scott Whiteford, a renowned educator from the University of Arizona, who provided an enlightening interplay of ideas and opinions surrounding the realities of border reporting.
By Sunday morning, the group was buzzing with potential teaching techniques, ideas for keeping students safe and suggestions for future meetings. Our last subject for discussion was “Looking forward to what’s next,” but before the coffee was even poured, the educators were already fully engaged in the topic.
There is no doubt that the workshop in Tucson was just the first of many future conversations, and it is my hope to continue my own involvement with the group that evoked in me a newfound passion and curiosity for the U.S.-Mexico border.
Brittany Birkett is a senior majoring in communication at the University of Washington.
