October 17th, 2025 • SPJ/MediaFest25
No Longer a Niche Beat: What Journalists Should Know About Immigration Reporting
Immigration and free speech laws are increasingly intertwined, advocate for Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) Dominic Coletti told a room of student journalists during his “Immigration 101” panel at MediaFest 25. Coletti, program officer for FIRE’s Student Press Freedom Initiative, said that while immigration statutes rarely change, “the practical considerations are evolving very quickly,” especially on college campuses where visa concerns now overlap with reporting and academic freedom.
October 17th, 2025 • SPJ/MediaFest25
Teaching Journalism Behind Bars
Journalism and incarceration are not necessarily a common pairing. Sara Vigneri, a faculty advisor to The Muhlenberg Weekly in Northern Pennsylvania who teaches at the Lehigh County Jail, believes the two belong together. She explained how teaching journalism in jails and prisons empowers people who are often silenced during a panel at MediaFest 25.
October 17th, 2025 • SPJ/MediaFest25
Teaching Journalism Behind Bars
Journalism and incarceration are not necessarily a common pairing. Sara Vigneri, a faculty advisor to The Muhlenberg Weekly in Northern Pennsylvania who teaches at the Lehigh County Jail, believes the two belong together. She explained how teaching journalism in jails and prisons empowers people who are often silenced during a panel at MediaFest 25.
October 17th, 2025 • SPJ/MediaFest25
Truth and empathy guide photojournalism ethics
As protests continue and technology evolves, where do photojournalism ethics stand? With more than 20 years of photography experience, Augusta University professor Dylan Wilson discussed growing ethical challenges during his “Photojournalism Ethics” session at MediaFest 25. From staging photos and manipulating images in Photoshop to deciding when to shoot — or when to put the camera down — Wilson encouraged attendees to think critically about truth and empathy in visual storytelling.
October 16th, 2025 • SPJ/MediaFest25
Inside the Art of Building a Fashion Photo Shoot
In a crowded room with attendees watching beyond the entrance, previous fashion editor of Indulge magazine Jenny Davis’ fashion advice was in high demand. She is one of the advisors of the SMU Look, a student-led editorial magazine at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas.