Across the country, student journalists are facing a growing issue: how to uphold journalism ethics while protecting classmates, especially international students, who are facing deportation threats.
“Our policy is almost to never remove a story completely... but we’ve always had a policy that grants anonymity to anyone who feels that their safety could be threatened. That use case has just become pervasive,” said Bhalla-Ladd.
Lyla Bhalla-Ladd, executive editor at Annenberg Media, says the stakes have shifted. The threat isn’t just angry emails or online backlash; it’s the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“We’ve been getting requests to anonymize international students who were at the protests... we’ve now really had to think about anonymizing anyone we know to be an international student,” said Bhalla-Ladd.
Stories about campus protests, immigration policy, and even student op-eds, are now being reassessed. But Lyla says these decisions aren’t made lightly.
“We handle everything on a case-by-case basis... We’re way more lenient now, but the policy hasn’t changed—we just see the threat more often.”
At the Daily Trojan, editor-in-chief Stefano Fendrich says the same fears are surfacing. Though USC hasn’t seen visa revocations like other campuses, the anxiety is real.
“I definitely think those sentiments are shared here on campus... everything is changing every day... and that fear is valid,” said Fendrich.
Fendrich says he constantly re-evaluates what safety looks like in 2025, especially in light of past cases like the Tufts detainment and shifting policies under the Trump administration.
“My number one responsibility is to uphold the standards, ethics and integrity of our newspaper... but also as a leader at the paper... these are my peers. Their safety is the top priority,” said Frendrich.
The Daily Trojan has already granted several anonymity and takedown requests, from both sources and student writers.
“You’re a person first, a student second, and a reporter third... we’ve granted a few of them already, and I’m sure there will continue to be more,” said Frendrich.
Incoming Annenberg executive editor Malcolm Caminero says the pressure isn’t going away, it’s just beginning.
“We’ve already gotten requests from students—writers or sources—who fear their words might lead to deportation... We do take those requests seriously, and we’re already reviewing them during our shadowing period,” said Caminero.
He says the future of these policies depends on how the political climate evolves, but for now, Annenberg Media is prioritizing empathy, especially with sensitive stories.
“I think this is a newsroom that, as much as possible, leads with empathy... If a student says, ‘Hey, I’m scared what this might mean for me,’ we’ll absolutely take that into consideration. That might mean changing the byline or being more flexible with anonymizing sources,” said Caminero.
While full takedowns are rare, Malcolm says the conversations about journalistic ethics and safety are ongoing, and the answers aren’t always easy.
“As of now, we’re sticking with what we currently do... but who knows what tomorrow brings? If things worsen, we may have to change our approach completely,” said Caminero.
Nationally, student newspapers at places like Temple and UPenn are doing the same, changing names, granting anonymity, and rethinking what it means to leave a digital record.
For student journalists, it’s no longer just about what’s newsworthy, but what could be dangerous. In a time when speech feels riskier than ever, these reporters are rewriting the rules in real time.