I think it’s a couple of things in terms of the craft and being able to tell a story well. I’m a big believer in fly-on-the-wall stories and trying to be there and watching things play out. I think the result is much more immediate and powerful. I don’t think we do enough of it in newspapers. I was motivated to do this story because I was kind of peeved that a lot of immigration stories were told from the point of view of men. The face of immigration is changing. It’s much more now about these women and children.
I thought it was important to tell that broader story and what that journey is like for those kids and to bring that home. Immigration is a huge issue in California and in the whole country. I thought it was a way to try to get people to think about immigration again.
In general, I take risks, but very calculated risks. I build in as many safety nets as possible along the way by getting permissions and researching.