'Arizona Daily Star' Series on U.S./Mexico 'Fence' Provokes Strong Response

By: Anna Crane The Arizona Daily Star will conclude Wednsday its four-part multimedia series, after six of its staff members journeyed from Tucson to the U.S.-Mexico border for a three-week look into the feasibility of a physical barrier. The resulting four-part investigative series, "Sealing Our Border: Why it Won't Work," began on Sunday.

That conclusion has enflamed anger and sparked support from the paper's readers.

Since Monday, letters and emails have poured in, reports Executive Editor Bobbie Jo Buel. On the Web site, readers are invited to comment on specific stories. Comments have been evenly mixed: some readers say they are thankful that the paper took the time to investigate the reality while others call the paper's conclusion "defeatist."

The series ends Wednesday with a section titled "Seas could be next troubled border spot."

Since Sunday, the print publication has featured at least two stories each day, and Monday and Tuesday editions each included an additional sidebar as well. On the paper's Web site, the stories are supplemented with numerous videos, graphics, audio recordings, and photographs.

The series debuted with a story on the economic destructivity of a border fence and a look into the natural obstacles to, and ecological consequences of, a physical barrier. Over the next two days, stories focused on a range of issues, from the cultural relationships at stake to the struggle between law enforcement agents and determined border crossers.

Border and Immigration Reporter Brady McCombs says that the project was set up to be a multimedia trip. McCombs and the second reporter, Stephanie Innes, were each given video cameras and digital audio recorders to carry with them. Each of the three photographers was also given audio recorders to supplement their work.

Andrew Satter, the Star's online content producer, says the digital portion helps to really "bring people to the border."

"We felt that coverage is sometimes lacking a sense of place -- what it looks like, what it feels like," says Satter. "We wanted to give some context to the series."

In the end of the trip, the team had produced 17 original videos, 11 panoramas, an interactive map, and numerous slide shows, all of which are available on the paper's Web site.

Executive Editor Buel was a part of the decision to investigate the border fence concept. While immigration and border control is a major topic for the Star (the paper's base in Tucson is about one hour from the border and circulation reaches that far), the idea for the series originated as some of the staff watched a national address on immigration by President Bush.

"He said the first thing we need to do is get control of the border -- and we don't have control of it," recalls Buel. It seemed like no matter where people stood on immigration, they could agree that we need to secure our borders. When the topic of a physical barrier along the Mexican border came up in the president's speech, it triggered the editors' thought: "How possible is that?"

The investigation, says Buel, concludes that, essentially, "it is not possible." The practical costs, she says, are prohibitive.