In this off-the-record session, newsroom leaders from cities experiencing heightened ICE and law-enforcement activity will discuss how they are navigating the escalating challenges highlighted in the previous sessions. Building on the on-the-ground experiences, the panelists will outline the concrete safety measures, legal-risk preparations, and community partnerships they've developed to protect their reporters in the field. They’ll offer practical tips and candid reflections on leading teams through unpredictable and often dangerous reporting conditions.
Panelists
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Meg Martin, Minnesota Journalism Center (Minnesota)
Meg Martin is associate director of the Minnesota Journalism Center, where she coordinates programming, operations and connections with newsrooms, journalists and support organizations across the state.
She is a freelance editor, fact-checker and story coach, working with local newsrooms and podcast teams across the country. She spent nearly a decade at MPR News as a digital editor, podcast editor and managing editor for regional news, special projects and partnerships. She was an editor with the Public Insight Network; led the digital team at The Roanoke Times in southwest Virginia; and began her professional career as a Naughton Fellow and digital editor at The Poynter Institute.
She spent the 2022-23 academic year as a Knight-Wallace Fellow at the University of Michigan, studying how best to prepare, support and connect editors and team leaders in small and mid-size local newsrooms — a project she's building on with her work at the Minnesota Journalism Center.
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April Alonso, Cicero Independiente (Chicago)
April Alonso is a visual journalist from Cicero, IL, and co-founder of Cicero Independiente, where she currently serves as Digital Editor and Producer. Her work has appeared in The Chicago Reporter, Chicago Reader, and Borderless Magazine. A former CatchLight Local Fellow, she reported on Latinx changemakers across Chicagoland, combining visuals and narrative to deepen community impact.
At Cicero Independiente, April leads digital publishing and visual content strategy—working closely with editors, reporters, and community members to shape stories that reflect local lived experiences. She collaborates with visual freelancers, oversees multimedia production, and develops creative distribution strategies to ensure stories resonate both online and off.
April also spearheads organizational initiatives centered on care and safety. She oversees staff and freelancer wellness and developed a Freelancer Online Abuse Handbook in collaboration with the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF), establishing protocols around digital security, accessibility, and data protection.
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Mariah Castañeda, LA Public Press (Los Angeles)
Mariah Castañeda is LA Public Press' Audience Director and Co-Founder. Mariah has split her career between journalism and voter education, and is one of the driving forces between L.A. TACO’s maturation into a news publication. She’s also the reporter and voice of the Webby nominated The Sellout podcast, detailing the rise and fall of a federally indicted former LA City Councilmember.
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