India Currents Selected For Documented’s Inaugural National Training Program for Immigrant-Serving Newsrooms

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India Currents Selected to 2026 Building Bridges Cohort

India Currents is excited to announce its selection to Documented’s inaugural newsroom cohort for Building Bridges: An Immigrant Media Training Program. Running from January to May 2026, the initiative supports local newsrooms across the United States and its territories in better serving immigrant communities.

India Currents was one of six newsrooms selected from 82 competitive applicants across 22 U.S. states. Forty-four advanced to the next stage based on the immigrant communities they serve, geographic reach, and the LPC Civic Index. From that group, 15 candidates were invited to in-depth interviews with Documented staff.

The finalists were selected for innovative project proposals, a strong commitment to serving immigrant communities, and a demonstrated integration of community-driven journalism into their mission, vision, and editorial practices.

An Immigrant Media Training Program

The 2026 Building Bridges: An Immigrant Media Training Program will provide intensive, hands-on support to six newsrooms as they launch editorial products rooted in inclusive, ethical, and high-quality journalism created for and with immigrant communities. The program will be led by Documented’s Chief Product and Education Officer Nicolás Rios, Program Manager Maria Arce, Product Lead Elite Truong, and Chief Strategy Officer Rebecca Neuwirth, with support from editorial staff and product, education, and development teams.

The 15-module training is grounded in building trust and fostering long-term relationships with immigrants. Upon completion, participants will join a community of practice for ongoing support, peer guidance, and engagement in the evolving field of community-driven journalism.

Inspired by Documented’s community-driven journalism model, the program is supported primarily by the Knight Foundation and will train more than 20 newsrooms over the next three years. Two additional cohorts will be selected in 2027 and 2028. 

“This initiative comes at a critical time in our country for immigrant communities, where building trust in journalism is more important than ever,” said Mazin Sidahmed, Executive Director of Documented. “The first cohort of program participants was selected for bold, disruptive initial ideas for editorial products that will help their newsrooms more deeply connect with and serve immigrant audiences, and we are thrilled to help them make their vision a reality.” 

The Cohort

The first cohort includes the following newsrooms and projects:

India Currents is an award-winning nonprofit newsroom, founded in 1987, and the oldest dedicated to covering America’s 5-million-strong Indian diaspora—the fastest-growing Asian population in the U.S. It tells Indian American stories, bridges generations, and fosters civic engagement through dialogue and understanding. Prachi Singh, Audience Engagement Editor, and multimedia journalist Sobhan Hassanvand will represent the outlet.
Project: Structured listening circles with Indian Americans in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

Ethiopique is a local news and community platform serving Amharic-speaking immigrants in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia. It delivers clear, practical reporting on local government, housing, immigration, public safety, education, and everyday issues affecting immigrants, while also fostering connection through interviews, community events, and direct engagement. Founder Henok Mengistu and a multimedia reporter will participate in the training program.
Project: Gamification of immigration news and the adoption of roads and other public spaces as means to build trust and bridges between immigrants and locals.

KPBS is a public media station serving San Diego for over 60 years with news, entertainment, education, lifestyle programming, and community events. It has a strong record of engaging and serving immigrant communities through dialogue and community-driven journalism. South Bay Engagement Producer Marielena Castellanos and Grants and Engagement Manager Amanda Ochoa will attend the training program.
Project: WhatsApp communication channels for transborder immigrant communities in San Diego and Imperial cities.

Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) is an independent nonprofit public media organization serving Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. Supported by members, it provides trusted regional journalism freely accessible to all and develops initiatives to ensure its newsroom reflects the communities it serves. Vice President of Community Connections Shayna Schlosberg and Director of Platform and Product Margaux Maxwell will attend the training program.
Project: TV/Video/Digital products for content co-creation with Latin immigrants in Oregon.

The San Francisco Public Press is a nonprofit newsroom serving historically underserved communities, including Asian Americans, covering issues like environmental protection, housing, public health, transportation safety, homelessness, and immigration. It describes itself as a “convener,” bringing communities together to listen, learn, and collaborate on solutions. Award-winning multilingual journalist Zhe Wu, Executive Director Lila LaHood, and Director of Development and Partnerships Lisa Rudman will join the training program.
Project: Comic strips and other visually compelling explainers in Chinese for immigration policies.

VozColectiva is a female-led community newsroom in Philadelphia amplifying Latin women’s voices on issues that matter most. Founded in 2023, it focuses on domestic violence coverage and prevention, producing a monthly YouTube program and collaborating with local organizations to share accessible resources. The newsroom earned the 2023 LION Publishers Award for Product of the Year for its innovative community-centered reporting. Community Coordinator Evelyn Toriz and Reporter Zulma Guzmán will join the training program.
Project: Pocket-sized brochures for domestic violence immigrant survivors with QR codes to news, guides, and resources in Philadelphia.

About Documented

Documented, a New York–based nonprofit newsroom, has intentionally integrated immigrant communities into its journalism and editorial development from the start. It has created innovative platforms to engage immigrants directly, including Documented Semanal, a Spanish-language WhatsApp newsletter launched in 2019. Since then, it has developed multiple multilingual products serving New York City’s immigrant audiences. Each year, newsrooms across the U.S., Latin America, and Europe seek to learn from Documented’s community-driven model—this training program responds to that demand.