INDY’s Reporting on 2025 Immigration Operation Wins National Journalism Award

The INDY has been recognized with a national journalism award for breaking news coverage during the November 2025 immigration operation in the Triangle.

The Edward R. Murrow Award for breaking news coverage recognized a package of stories from The Assembly Network, including reporting by INDY’s Wake County editor Jane Porter and INDY staff writer Lena Geller.

Porter helped break the news that Border Patrol agents were bringing a federal immigration crackdown targeting blue cities to the Triangle. Geller’s on-the-ground reporting captured the first day of that operation, documenting frantic scenes as people were detained in Durham.

The winning package also included reporting by Assembly staff writer Jeffrey Billman in Raleigh and coverage of Border Patrol sweeps in Charlotte by freelance reporter Greg Lacour and photographer A.M. Stewart.

Here’s an excerpt of what we wrote in our nomination:

In late November 2025, signals began to emerge that the Trump administration was moving Border Patrol and other immigration enforcement resources from Chicago to North Carolina. Our team quickly snapped into action, planning our own on-the-ground coverage and also coordinating with newsrooms within our state and in cities where previous actions had taken place to learn from their experience. … We wanted daily coverage, but also stories that could pull back and give readers a sense of what they most-needed to know. We also prioritized sifting between fact and fiction at a time when rumors were rampant and the government itself could not be relied on to share credible information. 

This is The Assembly Network’s third national Murrow award, following two awards last year for sports reporting and overall excellence

The Radio Television Digital News Association, or RTDNA, presents the Murrow awards each year to honor “outstanding achievements in broadcast and digital journalism.” Named for the late broadcast journalist and war correspondent, they are among the most prestigious recognition in news.

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