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Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., speaks with the media outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Ill., Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

This week, I want to share a story and then get out of the way quickly so you can spend some time with it. My colleague Angela Fu spoke with Chicago journalists about how they’re covering the ongoing and life-altering story of ICE raids across the city. ([link removed])
“The amount of stories and tips and things that are happening is just nonstop. It is just a constant stream,” Tribune senior content editor Erika Slife told Fu. “It’s really exhausting, mentally and physically. But somebody has to record history.”
Fu’s reporting includes some important points:
* This is unlike any story Chicago journalists have told, including more recent protests. “The Chicago Police Department handles things differently when it comes to protests. I feel like they have more training in how to control big crowds and protesters,” said Chicago Sun-Times visual journalist Anthony Vazquez. They generally allowed people to take over streets and protest “to a certain extent,” only stepping in if, for example, people started damaging buildings. “(Federal agents) don’t have that same training because they’re trained for something completely different,” he said. Instead of letting people protest, federal agents try to disperse them with riot control weapons like pepper balls and tear gas.
* Journalists are in danger while covering this story. Fu reports, “The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, a project by the Freedom of the Press Foundation, has documented ([link removed]) 26 incidents in which journalists were assaulted by law enforcement while covering Operation Midway Blitz.”
* They’re fighting back. Attacks “led Block Club to join several other local press groups in suing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other federal officials on Oct. 6. The lawsuit ([link removed]) accuses the federal government of violating the First Amendment by repeatedly threatening, assaulting and arresting journalists and protesters.”
* And they’re working together. Fu reports: “TRiiBE is collaborating with Chicago Reader and Unraveled Press to track ICE sightings. An informal network of journalists from 13 Chicago newsrooms shares tips via Signal, said Block Club Chicago co-executive editor and co-founder Stephanie Lulay. Block Club has also been in touch with Los Angeles Public Press, The Texas Tribune and Documented. The Los Angeles reporters gave Block Club tips on how to cover ICE raids, Lulay said, while Documented in New York City sought advice in case President Trump launches a federal operation there next.”

There’s a lot more in Fu’s reporting, which is essential right now, just like the work of journalists in Chicago who are telling this story. You can read more here. ([link removed])
While you’re here:
* Related: Read about Block Club Chicago’s WhatsApp channel that’s sharing immigration coverage and news. ([link removed])
* From Poynter, read “An Albany reporter’s steady questioning led a murder suspect to confess on camera.” ([link removed])
* On the latest edition of the “WriteLane” podcast, hear from The Washington Post’s Dana Hedgpeth on covering the abuse of children at Native American boarding schools. ([link removed])

That’s it for me. Thanks for reading. ❤️
Kristen
Kristen Hare
Faculty
The Poynter Institute
@kristenhare ([link removed])

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