Help Truthdig Cover The U.S.-Mexico Border Crisis

Help Truthdig's On-The-Ground Coverage at the U.S.-Mexico Border

Who: Truthdig is an award-winning independent news site with a history of muckraking and cutting-edge reporting. This December, we are heading to the U.S.-Mexico border to provide on-the-ground coverage of migrants from Central America – the so-called “caravan” – as they attempt to cross over and procure asylum.  Our plan is to provide firsthand accounts from both sides of the border, embedding with U.S. coalition and humanitarian groups who are trained to accompany those attempting to navigate the complicated asylum-seeking process. 

What: Your generous TAX-DEDUCTIBLE contributions through the Tides Foundation will fund our coverage of a situation that is increasingly becoming dire.  This is an exodus for survival. Some with have traveled more than 2,000 miles, fleeing dangerous circumstances in their home countries to seek asylum and work stateside. As Truthdig columnist Sonali Kolhatkar detailed in a recent column, the Trump administration has responded to this refugee crisis by dehumanizing the migrants and casting them as dangerous, harmful hordes that must be prevented at all costs from crossing into the U.S. To that end, the president has deployed nearly 6,000 active-duty military personnel, as well as 2,100 National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Where: Multimedia journalist Michael Nigro plans to travel to the U.S.-Mexico border to cover the migrants’ journey and to offer viewers and readers a first-hand view of the potential confrontations between refugees and government forces. He’ll also bear witness to what happens by recording footage and writing about what he sees, as well as about the stories of migrants looking for a way out of unlivable circumstances and those standing by to help them.  

When: From December 17-22, Nigro will be on-the-ground, moving between, San Diego and the Tijuana camps, 

How: As a Truthdig multimedia journalist, Michael Nigro will provide multimedia coverage of actions during his stint at the border.  Nigro will generate live streaming, photo essays, and original reporting that will be distributed through Truthdig’s website, social media channels, and newsletter. 

Background: Earlier this year for Truthdig (and thanks to your generous donations), Michael Nigro covered the historic Poor People’s Campaign, in which activists coordinated 40-days of nonviolent civil disobedience at statehouses in over 40 cities.  Nigro is a leading photojournalist for Truthdig, known for his reporting from deep within major events -- the infamous protest in Charlottesville, Va.; the massive gun-control demonstration held in the wake of the high school massacre in Parkland, Fla.; at the historic Women’s March on Washington; at the water protectors’ encampment at Standing Rock; and at the Republican and Democratic conventions during the last presidential campaign. You can view some of his work here: @nigrotime and on Instagram 

We hope that people who value good journalism as much as we do will provide the funding boost that is so crucially needed. With your support, Nigro and other Truthdig journalists will be able to continue dispatching the unique brand of media coverage Truthdig is known to provide. 

Please give so Truthdig can be there to document it for America and the rest of the world. 

More information about Tides Foundation (Tides Foundation): Tides is a philanthropic partner and nonprofit accelerator dedicated to building a world of shared prosperity and social justice. Tides works at the nexus of funders, changemakers, and policy to solve society’s toughest problems: equality and human rights; sustainable environment; healthy individuals and communities; and quality education. Tides Foundation designs and implements philanthropic programs to help donors, institutions, and corporations achieve meaningful results and streamline the process for both grantees and funders. We provide donor-advised funds, collective action funds, and many other charitable giving vehicles that support donors in driving impact.