The Trump Administration's crackdown on undocumented immigrants was among the most important Memphis news stories of 2025. But it became a national issue with September's arrival of the Memphis Safe Task Force, which funneled significant local and federal resources into immigration enforcement.
As many mixed-status families went into hiding, reporting on their circumstances became more challenging. But through the collaborative efforts of WKNO-FM and the University of Memphis' Institute for Public Service Reporting, radio listeners got a provocative, inside perspective on how national policy affected the lives of Midsouth immigrants.
This week, WKNO/IPSR took three prizes in a annual national news competition hosted by the Public Media Journalists Association, which included more than 1,500 entries from 134 broadcast and digital news organizations.
Our broadcasts won first place for Enterprise reporting about immigration policies, second place for a Series about one immigrant family's deportation and second place in Collaborative Effort for our continuing series, "Civil Wrongs: The Killer Wore a Badge, parts 1 and 2," which explores how a killing by Memphis police shaped national police policies regarding use-of-force against "fleeing felons."
"These awards are more confirmation that when nonprofit, public-service newsrooms combine their respective skill sets, the community benefits," said Christopher Blank, WKNO's News Director and IPSR's Senior Producer. "When it comes to essential local journalism, we have to get these stories out through as many avenues as we can."
Various stories by Erika Konig and Daniel Connolly—reporters with a command of Spanish and deep knowledge of immigration policy—were submitted in the Enterprise category. They cover multiple angles of the Trump Administration's efforts to locate, detain and deport undocumented immigrants.
Examples from Konig:
Jan. 22, 2025: Tennessee's Immigrant Communities Brace for Tougher State and Federal Laws
March 24, 2025: Immigration advocates rally against education bill
Aug. 13, 2025: Former West Tennessee Prison to become new privately run ICE detention center
From Connolly:
Nov. 25, 2025: Christian singer portrayed as "worst of the worst" as ICE sweeps Memphis
Konig's series, "American Nightmare," about a mixed status Memphis family facing hard decisions in the wake of an ICE arrest, won a second place prize. All of Konig's reporting was done as she finished her final year of journalism studies at the University of Memphis. She is now a full-time reporter for ISPR.
Her three-part series aired last December.
Part One: "Jose Gets Visitors"
Part Two: "Families in Lockdown"
The ongoing "Civil Wrongs" project headed up by reporter Laura Kebede-Twumasi represents a multi-year effort by WKNO and IPSR to explore historic racial injustices and how they impact Memphis today.
As the Memphis Safe Task Force got underway, Kebede-Twumasi's two-part series "The Killer Wore a Badge" was a reminder that today's policies governing police use of lethal force stem from a fatal police shooting that occurred in Memphis in 1974.
"So many roads in American history lead through Memphis," Blank said. "Laura's great work over the last few years has really created a repository of background for anyone looking to understand why so many civil rights laws exist today."
Oct. 14, 2025: "The Killer Wore a Badge, Part 1"
Oct. 15, 2025: "The Killer Wore a Badge, Part 2"
Institute director Marc Perrusquia coordinated team coverage and devoted resources to the rapidly evolving issue.
"The immigration crackdown and its associated abuses is one of the major stories of our times," Perrusquia said. "We’re fortunate to have talented journalists like Erika Konig and Daniel Connolly to help us stay on top of it and keep the public informed with solid, in-depth public service reporting."
He added that Civil Wrongs, which has won several awards since its inception, remains one of the Institute's signature efforts.
"All of this is a testament to the power of collaborative journalism and we’re thankful to our partners at WKNO-FM public radio for their continuing support and effort," he said.