Beyond the Headlines: Reimagining Immigrant-Centered Journalism w/Katrina Pham

This week on The Banh Mi Chronicles, I sit down with Katrina Pham, a Vietnamese American journalist with Borderless Magazine, a Chicago-based, immigrant-centered news publication.

Katrina shares her reflections on the recent ICE raids in Chicago and the weight of reporting on stories that directly impact the safety and livelihoods of our neighbors. We dive deep into how the digital media landscape has shifted and why “extractive” journalism no longer works. Instead, Katrina explains the rigorous work of building long-term, trusting relationships with the communities being covered.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Reporting on the Frontlines: Katrina’s firsthand reflections on documenting the ICE raids in Chicago.

• The Evolution of Digital Media: How the current landscape affects the way immigrant stories are told—and who gets to tell them.

• Community Journalism as Advocacy: What it means to practice “immigrant-centered” reporting in 2026.

• Building Radical Trust: The strategies Borderless Magazine uses to ensure sources feel seen, safe, and respected.

Katrina is a multimedia journalist whose focus is on race and social justice reporting. Most recently, she’s worked for The Yappie as a staff writer and newsletter contributor. There, she reported on solutions for inaccessible mental health care for Southeast Asian American refugees, among other topics relating to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Before Borderless, she interned for ABC 7 Chicago’s Race & Culture News team, connecting with community organizations in Chicago to pitch stories for the newsroom.

Katrina was born in Chicago, where both her parents settled after arriving in the United States as refugees from Vietnam following the end of the war. These experiences inform Katrina’s work, and she cares deeply about social justice issues.

Borderless Magazine is reimagining immigration journalism for a more just and equitable future.

As a nonprofit and nonpartisan news outlet, Borderless:

• Reports and publishes stories in English and Spanish

• Mentors emerging journalists in our Pathways program

• Gives journalists from other news outlets the tools they need to report on immigration issues fairly and accurately through our Immigration Reporting Lab

Borderless was named “The Future of Journalism” in the 2024 national Next Challenge.

Follow Borderless on these platforms:

Instagram: borderless_mag

Facebook

Website

TikTok

YouTube

Bio:About Borderless Magazine: