This course taught me how to put together stories through different platforms of media. Some lessons I learned were proper ways to take a still photo. Specificaly the rule of thirds and the appropriate techniques of lighting. I learned how to use final cut pro better and work with a lot of different things like audio and video.

Going out to find interviews for my stories proved to be a challenge for some assignments. I had to look for places in Eugene by searching with Google and making a lot of phone calls. It took me to different places I probably would not have been in Eugene. During my interviews, another lesson I learned was client confidentiality. While doing one of my interviews i could only get so much out of the interviewee because of confidential information they could not share.

This video was a lot of fun to put together.  I liked working with the camera equipment such as the tripod and mic. The biggest challenge was getting the shots I needed to have the same lighting. I had to do a lot of different angles and with many trees around the location, the sun was constantly giving me shadows in different areas. Also I had issues with my talent, making him do his form for an hour outside did not make him happy. What I would have done differently is shoot it all in about one hour to avoid lighting difficulties.

The thing i enjoyed most was being able to be creative and work outside of the box, yet follow instructions of the assignment and actually get a good grade. I’m happy i was able to be apart of the very first Gateway course with great instructors, GTF’s, and class mates that knew how to have fun and make quality stories.

Should our immigration policy in the United States be put at the bottom of the list for issues in need of reform? Many say that there are more important issues that need to be fixed like healthcare, the war in Afghanistan, and the economy. But a broken immigration system slows down our economy, complicates health care, and breaks apart families. Communities hit with people struggling to survive because of immigration problems are evident in communities. What would a better immigration policy serve? More and more money is being spilled into Federal funds to deport people that could be spent somewhere else. Not only would it save millions of dollars, but give people the opportunity to live a quality life.

How should the country deal with the 12 million illegal immigrants currently residing in the United States? There is a constant debate going on in America about whether the immigrants should be deported or given amnesty. People who do not support the illegal immigrants believe the economy will benefit from them leaving because employers will have to pay higher wages to US citizens. Critics say the loss of illegal immigrants helps the economy because these workers do work that few native-born Americans will do.  The NPR article reports that “Economists generally believe that when averaged over the whole economy, the effect is a small net positive.” The United States should reform the immigration laws and put into policy a method to deal with the 12 million illegal immigrants. They should all be given amnesty to stop the constant time and expense of the millions of cases that burden our legal system.

Raquel Hecht, an immigration law attorney for the community of Eugene, Oregon, fights everyday for immigrants that are facing employment problems dealing with working visas. She states, “Most of my clients don’t know the immigration policies being enforced, which are in constant change in our government.” Sometimes her cases determine if her client can stay in the United States or not. In Oregon Live, a journalistic source based in the state of Oregon, shows how the immigration policy affected a mom who admitted she over stayed her visa. She was taken away from her nursing infant and banned from the US for 10 years. A new law had taken affect that she did not know about. The law needs to take these facts into consideration. The city of Portland is now sometimes referred to as “Deport land”. Incidents like these are what Raquel takes upon and prevents.

What else can people do to help immigrants’ burdens? There are many different non-profit social groups of people who come together to aid immigrants. Street Roots, a journalistic source, aims to improve lives of families. They are providing assistance to immigrants who need help to find the path to self-sufficiency, a place where the United States government is currently lacking in. Centro Latino Americano, an organization stationed in Eugene, Oregon, serves as a type of sanctuary for Latinos in the community that need a crutch to survive in the United States. Most of these people suffer from not being able to speak or read English, and many are in need of a job to support their family. Andres Cuevas, a Latino immigrant in search of work, recalls the hardships of working illegally on the streets as a day laborer. He states, “ I have worked as a day laborer with many friends and we hope that someone will hire us.”. Thankfully there are people who can go out of their way to pick up where our government needs to improve upon.

Some argue against immigration policy reform and are strong advocates against immigration. From NPR.org, a Q&A article illustrates some of the negative impacts immigration holds. The more immigrants in the open market looking for work means lower wages for lower skilled work. However that does mean lower prices on food and construction. But one con that sticks out is the draining of government expenditure. Illegal immigrants are not paying government taxes, which drain our government spending. Balanced Politics is another source of anti-immigration. If the United States allows immigrants to enter the country, we also allow terrorists, drug dealers, and criminals. This is a valid point, but other groups like the Immigration Solidarity Network argue that immigrants founded the United States. This group advocates rally group. People are marching all around the nation to seek justice for immigrants that they do deserve a right for policy reform.

The United States president Barak Obama states, “We must fix the dysfunctional immigration bureaucracy and increase the number of legal immigrants to keep families together and meet the demand for jobs that employers cannot fill”. Our current administration talks about moving forward with immigration reform but the actions are not being shown. As Obama said, “America can only prosper when all Americans prosper–brown, black, white, Asian, and Native American”. This prosperity will lead our country to a better economy. We have nothing to fear from today’s immigrants. They have come here for the same reason that families have come here from the beginning of our nations history. They want to find the American dream and make a better life for themselves. I believe that these 12 million immigrants should be given amnesty, however I predict that this will cause too much protest in the country. The government will reform the laws and make improvements to help the immigrants, but the legal process will continue to be timely and expensive.

The immigrant solidarity network is an educational source that serves the nation as a way to obtain knowledge on important immigration issues. This network is completely volunteered based and is funded by many businesses and private individuals. Immigrant solidarity network is an organization that fights for immigrant rights and provides news and education to help immigrant’s thereby bringing attention to the importance of immigration reform.

Immigration Solidarity Network is a grassroots community that was founded in 2002.  They saw the need to fight immigrant bashing, support immigrant rights, stop the sweatshops exploitation and put an end to the racism in the community. They are linking the immigration issues with different struggles: wars in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestine & Korea.

You will find up to date news stories, various advice and community activities to become involved and volunteer to help with immigration reform. Immigrants can read and better understand what rights they have and learn to stand up for them. This knowledge makes a person stronger and more determined to fight for their rights and find a better life for their families. As the website states, “With togetherness and order, more goals can be accomplished.”

http://streetroots.wordpress.com/2009/05/13/immigrant-workers-face-extremes-of-economic-crisis/

Street Roots is a journalistic source that has a smaller audience of people interested in improving life in Oregon. Street Roots is an Oregon based non-profit newspaper that helps homeless people and people experiencing poverty like immigrants by creating job opportunities and keeping families together. The sales of the newspaper go directly to help people in need. Advertising, subscriptions and many organizations and private people throughout Oregon fund them.

Recently, Street Roots is helping with the issues of immigrant workers in Oregon. The number of unemployed Latino immigrants is rapidly growing. Street Roots is providing assistance to these people by helping them to find a path to self-sufficiency and helping them secure their basic needs.

In the Street Roots article, Immigrant workers face extremes of economic crisis, dated May 13, 2009 by Mara Grunbaum and Joanne Zuhl, the need for helping immigrants is seen loud and clear. Oregon voters passed a bill to penalize businesses that employ undocumented workers with a $10,000 fine or revocation of their business license. This has halted the employment of many Latinos. Many are becoming homeless and desperate. They are also feeling hostility from non-immigrant workers because the bad economy has caused decreased wages across the board and less benefits. The Latinos feel the blame and the brunt of racism. The country is in a crisis and the current immigration system in the U.S. is broken and needs reform.

http://www.immigrationoregon.com/

Institutional and professional source.

This website is categorized as Institutional because it is a US business law firm that aids immigrants and helps creates policies that enable immigrants to become US citizens. The website, Immigration Oregon, is an immigration law firm, Hecht & Norman, LLP and was founded in 1993. It is located in Eugene, Oregon. The firm helps immigrants become US citizens, obtain work visas for families, students or laborers and a variety of other immigration related services.

Founding partner, Raquel Hecht, is dedicated to helping undocumented people become legal residents or obtain temporary work permission in the United States. She has won numerous cases including a major victory that changed the way immigrant officials can use evidence against immigrants for their own deportation. In one case, Raquel Hecht is helping a family man who is being deported after being a model citizen for 20 years.

This website is helpful to immigrants because it explains all of the services that the law firm provides. There are also updates to the current immigration laws and attached articles that tell the story of how this law firm has helped many immigrants. There is also a very informative frequently asked questions sections that will help immigrants understand what their rights are and that they can get help. This law firm is privately owned and is funded by the clients.

http://www.cla1.org/

This institutional and professional source is provided through the website – http://www.cla1.org/. The website represents the non-profit business, Centro Latino Americano, a multicultural agency in Eugene, Oregon. This organization was formed in 1972 by a group of Chicano students from Lane Community College and the University of Oregon to meet the needs of new families. The agency is a gathering place dedicated to the Latino community. They help families become self-sufficient, get affordable housing and health care and find employment. Creating a stable family with thriving children who learn the importance of respecting diversity is the main goal of the center. Classes are offered for parenting, child playgroups, and English as a second language.

Immigrants of Hispanic descent are very thankful to have this service when starting a new life in the United States. The website gives them information on all the classes available and the community events that are beneficial to them. The community is very supportive of this organization as seen in the many sponsors from government to private and social service groups who fund this business. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn64Nwi5p80

The employees at Centro Latino help people on a personal basis and even refer them to the Oregon Immigration Law office when they are in need of legal service. They also help them find jobs, make resumes and learn English. These services help the community grow and become stronger.

http://www.oregonlive.com/ins/index.ssf?/news/oregonian/00/12/lc_31fam12.frame

Oregon Live is a journalistic source that has a large mainstream audience and provides news and information. Advertisers and subscriptions fund this newspaper. This newspaper reports about immigration news and laws that show the importance of immigration reform

In the Oregon Live article by Kim Christensen, Julie Sullivan and Brent Walth, “Immigration law splinters families” dated December 12, 2000, current immigration laws are making life difficult for some families. The 1996 immigration reform eliminated due process rights and deported many immigrants from the US because of prior criminal records. The crime could have been committed 20 years prior, and the person could lead an exemplary life, but they were instantly deported. This is tearing children away from their parents.

Another law affected a mom who admitted she overstayed her visa. She was taken away from her nursing infant and banned from the US for 10 years. A new law had taken affect that she did not know about. The law needs to take these facts into consideration. The city of Portland is now sometimes referred to as “Deport land”.

These tragic stories cost people so much time and energy and are a prime example of why immigration reform is so important. It is important for the public to understand these hardships that immigrants face and take this into consideration when arguing about the priority of immigration reform

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn64Nwi5p80.

This citizen source is provided by YouTube. The video depicts a struggling immigrant, Andres Cuevas, who struggled with attaining a job to provide for his family. Like many immigrants in his situation, he resorts to day laboring. This involves waiting on street corners and sidewalks by local hardware stores, home improvement warehouses, and common pickup truck rentals.

This is a poor form of work because it is under the table pay. They are able to avoid taxation for the government, which drains funds that the state pays for. Furthermore many people cannot support a family with this kind of job regardless of tax.

The story shows how Andres needed guidance to break free from being a day laborer to fund a more reliable source of income and employment. He went to Centro Latino Americano, an organization for people in his situation. They offered him help to find work around the community legally. They also offer other services other than work, such as child care, English language classes, and moving in to new homes. Because of this organization, his hardships no longer hinder his ability to thrive in our open market, making him benefit to the economy.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5312900

NPR or National Public Radio is a journalistic source that produces and distributes international news, talk and entertainment programming. It is privately supported and is a non-profit membership organization that serves more than 27.5 million Americans. The website, NPR.org, offers special features and hourly newscasts. This is an important website because it gives up to date perspectives on all sides of issues in America, like immigration and it is important to educate the people so that the U.S policies will improve.

A NPR article from March 30, 2006 titled, “Q&A: Illegal Immigrants and the US Economy” by Adam Davidson gives a perspective on the advocates on both sides of the immigration debate. People who do not support the illegal immigrants believe the economy will benefit from them leaving because employers will have to pay higher wages to US citizens. Critics say the loss of illegal immigrants helps the economy because these workers do work that few native-born Americans will do. Most economists think that when averaged over the whole economy, the effect of working immigrants is a small net positive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sahtsBOAlmg&NR=1

CNN is a journalistic source from a mainstream and very large audience cable network. They are funed by subscriptions and advirtisements. This is a very strong news network that brings stories internatonally 24 hours a day.

This story is seen on a You Tube video from CNN cable news network and is titles Obama on illegal Immigration. Barack Obama has said he will work to solve the countries illegal immigration problems Obama believes that if any American is facing problems whether they are brown, black, white, or Native American then it is a problem facing us all. There are 12 million undocumented workers in the U.S. and most of them are in hiding and struggling to survive. There must be reform to help these people. He says it is wrong to tear a nursing mom away from her baby and deport her. The system is broken and must be fixed.

http://www.balancedpolitics.org/immigration.htm

BalancedPolitics.org is a citizen source. This citizen and creator of this website is Joe Messerli, a technology consultant from Green Bay, Wisconsin and political and news junkie. There is no funding to help maintain this website. The ideology is based on facts and journalists data that he has gathered from many news and political websites. He developed this site to present a logical, balanced discussion on a number of issues important to society. It provides reasoned, critical, non-partisan analysis of both sides of the issue. The issue of immigration is debated on both side of the argument as to what reform should take place to help the U.S.

Balancedpolitics.org gives the argument against helping immigrants. People believe that more immigrants mean more opportunities for terrorists, drug dealers and criminals. They also believe immigrants are a burden to the government because they use government recourses like health care, education and welfare. The job market for less skilled American citizens is decreased because they compete with immigrants in the job market. These arguments must be considered when analyzing the importance of immigration reform



10 Sources

Immigration reform likely to happen this fall – http://www.ojornal.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20252769

A Journalistic source. Immigration reform is an important topic in the government. President Obama has said that reform is being put at a top priority. There is a debate going on between the Democrats and the Republicans. The E-verify system, which allows employers to electronically verify the workers eligibility to work in the United States, is being reviewed for re authorization. In fact, the stimulus plan requires the recipient businesses to use this E-verify system. The republicans do not like this plan because they feel the employees are forced to be cops over the new hires. ojornal is news site profiting from advertisers.

http://streetroots.wordpress.com/2009/05/13/immigrant-workers-face-extremes-of-economic-crisis/

A Journalistic Source. Columbia County, Oregon voters passed a bill to penalize businesses that employ undocumented workers with a $10,000 fine or revocation of their business license. This has halted the employment of many Latinos. Many are becoming homeless and desperate. They are also feeling hostility from non-immigrant workers because the bad economy has caused decreased wages across the board and less benefits. The Latinos feel the blame and the brunt of racism. The country is in a crisis and the current immigration system in the U.S. is broken and needs reform.

http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/

A Educational Source. Immigrant solidarity network is an organization that fights for immigrant rights. It is a grassroots community that was founded in 2002. They saw the need to fight immigrant bashing, support immigrant rights, no to the sweatshops exploitation and end to the racism on the community. They are linking the immigration issues with different struggles: wars in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestine & Korea. With togetherness and order, more goals can be accomplished. You will find up to date news stories, various advice and community activities to become involved with. Immigrant solidarity network gets there funds from donations and other supporters.

http://caimmigrant.org/repository/?cat=12

A educational source. This website is from the California Immigrant Policy Center. The purpose of this site is to assemble information – reports, research papers, and fact sheets – about immigrants in California. An example is this California brief that sheds new light on immigrant children and their families in California. The information presented shows that too many immigrant children are struggling. This site is a non profit informational site determined to give out research and information.

http://special.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/5673942-35/story.csp

A Journalistic source. UO student Nathaniel Spinney and his Canadian citizen wife Sarah Rutherford are separated and paying a high price for lying at the border. After their marriage event in Canada they headed to Eugene. However at the border they said they were engaged since they did not have the proper marriage documents yet. This lie sent Sarah back to Canada and banned from the US for 5 years. They have hired Eugene lawyer, Raquel Hecht, who says the law makes it very difficult when you marry in the non-citizen country. The best bet is to marry in the US then there would be no problems.  Subscribers and clients pay for the Register Guard.

http://www.oregonlive.com/ins/index.ssf?/news/oregonian/00/12/lc_31fam12.frame

A Journalistic source. Current immigration laws are splitting up families. The city of Portland is sometimes referred to as “Deport land”. The 1996 immigration reform eliminated due process rights and deported many immigrants from the US because of prior criminal records. The crime could have been committed 20 years prior, and the person could lead an exemplary life, but they were instantly deported. This is tearing children away from their parents. Another law affected a mom who admitted she overstayed her visa. She was taken away from her nursing infant and banned from the US for 10 years. A new law had taken affect that she did not know about. The law needs to take these facts into consideration. They work with The Oregonian, which is a newspaper organization payed for from subscribers and advertising.

http://www.usimmigrationsupport.org/

A institutional source. US immigration support is an independent organization. Their main goal is to help immigrants through the US immigration system. It is a central website that answers any question an immigrant might have. You can read case studies, find out how to obtain a green card or renew a green card, get a visa or a citizenship application or get access to many other immigration forms. There are many useful tips and advices including a study guide for the citizenship test. Attorneys are available for consultation and forms and books are available for purchase. US immigration support is payed for from sponsors.

http://www.cla1.org/

A institutional source. Centro Latino Americano, a multicultural agency in Eugene, Oregon formed in 1972 by a group of Chicano students from Lane Community College and the University of Oregon to meet the needs of new families. The agency is a gathering place dedicated to the Latino community. They help families become self-sufficient, get affordable housing and health care and find employment. Creating a stable family with thriving children who learn the importance of respecting diversity is the main goal of the center. Classes are offered for parenting, child play groups, and English as a second language. Centro Latino Americano is a non profit organization that runs from the donations they have from their many sponsors.

http://www.immigrationoregon.com/

A institutional source. The immigration law firm Hecht & Norman, LLP founded in 1993 and located in Eugene, Oregon. The firm helps immigrants become US citizens, obtain work visas for families, students or laborers and a variety of other immigration related services. Founding partner, Raquel Hecht, is dedicated to helping undocumented people become legal residents or obtain temporary work permission in the United States. She has won numerous cases including a major victory that changed the way immigrant officials can use evidence against immigrants for their own deportation. This law firm is payed for from the clients the law firm has.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/12/11/BUGLBG5M031.DTL

A journalistic source. 2005 article in the San Francisco Chronicle about what immigration brings California. A study is performed to evaluate the costs and benefits of a huge influx of foreign workers. These foreign workers have the potential to give back to our countries economy as well as the employment rate. San Francisco Chronicle is payed for by it’s subscribers and any other donnations given to their paper.

Photo by Effie Nidam of CNN

News article on CNN from May 1, 2009 depicting immigrants rallying in California on what is being called, “The Great May 1st Boycott,” or “A Day Without an Immigrant.” This is a nationwide rally for immigration reform. These people are not going to work or school and are not spending money at shops in an effort to inform the public and the government of how valuable their services are needed in this country. They carry signs saying, “We are American”. These hard working immigrants are demanding amnesty. There are an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States that want to earn their citizenship.

This rally is now an annual event that started in 2006 and each year on May 1st, this boycott takes place across the nation. More and more supporters are joining the effort including powerful business leaders who want to put an end to immigration raids on work sites. There is a strong drive for immigration reform in the United States. It is seen with the hardworking passion of these people and with the powerful unity of these people at this rally.

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/06/immigration_principles.html

Photo by AP/Rex C. Curry from American Progress

This image is of immigrants marching with an American Flag in Dallas, Texas on June 24, 2009. They are asking for immigration reform in the United States. The photo shows how united these immigrants are and you can see their great desire to become American citizens. The march is organized by the Center for American Progress, a non-profit group of forward thinkers who want to improve the lives of American citizens through ideas and actions. They believe that deportation is against the nations interests and values, and the only viable solution is immigration reform. The Center for American Progress believes that effective reform must require those living in the United States illegally to “register, pay their full share of taxes, learn English, complete background checks, and earn the privilege of citizenship.” The United States will benefit from increased taxes and have a workforce that is stronger and more equal.

This story lacks many key qualities that make up a story good. The writer does not invest any time in developing the characters. I could care less about what happens to Spock, Kirk, and the crew members. Furthermore a story’s structure needs to parallel a roller coaster with ups and downs. This story did not build any tension or conflict, making it bland and dull. In addition, I could not make a connection to the story. A good story is one that the reader can relate to and apply to their own life.  Also the grammar and word choice was very poor. “the people were unhappy and starving and dirty and stuff”

A story needs conflict and structure. As long as people can care about the characters and relate to them, the story has potential to be great.

1913 - The California Alien Land Law of 1913 prohibits “aliens ineligible for citizenship” from owning land or property.

1917 – Immigration Act: Mexicans are exempted from anti-immigration laws so that they can provide labor.

1924 – The U.S. Border Patrol began – as Prohibition encouraged a brisk smuggling trade from Mexico into the U.S.

1952 – The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) (also known as the McCarran-Walter Act ) restricted immigration into the U.S. It allows individuals of all races to be eligible for naturalization. The act also reaffirms national origins quota system, establishes preferences for skilled workers and relatives of U.S. citizens and permanent resident aliens; and tightens security and screening standards and procedures.

1956 – Alien Land Laws Repealed. California repeals its alien land laws of 1913.

1990 – Immigration Act of 1990 under President George H. W. Bush. This law increased the number of legal immigrants allowed to enter the U.S. The law also focused on improving border enforcement through more training for border officials. The reform also cracked down on employers hiring illegal workers and eliminated non-emergency medical services for illegal immigrants.

1995 – California voters enact Proposition 187, later declared unconstitutional, which prohibits providing of public educational, welfare, and health services to undocumented aliens.

1996 - Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) expands INS enforcement operations, eliminates basic rights of due process for immigrants and cuts down on ways for immigrants to legalize their status.

1998- RAND’s Center for Research on Immigration Policy released a study on immigrants in California. It focused on immigrants’ use of public services, their effects on the state’s economy. The results show negative and positive effects on the economy.

2003 – In response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is established.

http://www.cis.org/articles/1998/IR32/impact.html

This 1998 study on the impact of immigration on California shows the changes in the economy from the 1970’s to the 1990’s.
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/mexico704/history/timeline.html

This website from PBS shows an immigration timeline. It looks at U.S. policy toward immigration and border security with Mexico over the past 60 years.

http://caimmigrant.org/repository/?cat=12

This website is from the California Immigrant Policy Center. The purpose of this site is to assemble information – reports, research papers, and fact sheets – about immigrants in California. An example is this California brief that sheds new light on immigrant children and their families in California. The information presented shows that too many immigrant children are struggling.

http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/immigration/index.html

This website is a database of all the stories on immigration for the state of California. The stories are weekly from 2006 to present.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/12/11/BUGLBG5M031.DTL

2005 article in the San Francisco Chronicle about what immigration brings California. A study is performed to evaluate the costs and benefits of a huge influx of foreign workers.

The history of immigration in California is under constant reform. The selected links showcase this reform and give an understanding of the pros and cons with immigration. They also give a historical timeline of changes in the law and various stories related to the topic. They show an understanding that in the early 1900’s California needed immigration from Mexico for hard labor on farms and factories. These immigrants helped strengthen the economy. However, through the following decades there is debate on how these immigrants are a burden to the government because of the cost of welfare, healthcare and education. There are big problems with the state budget in CA and immigration reform is an important step to help reduce the budget.

Article – http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/09/25/navarrette.obama.immigration/

In the above article it is evident that immigration reform has been put on hold until other issues like health care and foreign policy are fixed. I want to focus my issue on why immigration should not be treated so lightly in our country and how its reform can benefit other issues currently being fixed. I am choosing this because I support immigration and want to see progress. Furthermore I want to better understand this issue.