Too often in the American national media, reporters tell stories on policies that have enormous implications for the lives of everyday people in terms of whether it’s a win for the Democrats, a loss for the Republicans, or a boon for the president.
Mississippi Free Press investigative reporter Nick Judin’s latest story is the exact opposite of that. It begins by telling you the story of a man, Kasper Eriksen, in vivid detail as his life and that of his family was unexpectedly thrown into a Kafkaesque hell.
And even though Donald Trump is undoubtedly the man who put the wheels in motion that rolled the father of four straight into an ICE prison, his name is not mentioned until about 800 words into the story on the Sturgis, Mississippi, welder.
We believe it’s important for us, as a news organization, to put humanity first as often as possible—and then contextualize the underlying politics in those terms. We should not treat the lives of people as mere pawns in a partisan game. People’s lives, after all, are the only reason politics matters in the first place.
In the hours since the story went live, Nick’s work has received much praise for how he wove the narrative of one family throughout a story about the way power and political systems affect lives.
We’ve also received dozens of complaints from people who were upset that Nick did not interrogate a fearful wife and pregnant mom of four (soon to be five) who is fighting for her husband’s freedom about her political views and how she voted in the 2024 election. Some even accused Nick of “burying the lede” by not finding out whether or not Savannah Eriksen voted for Trump last year and potentially making the story of her husband’s arrest, imprisonment and possible deportation a cautionary moral tale about the dangers of getting it wrong at the voting booth. They chastised Nick for not grilling an ICE prisoner about his opinions of the man whose policies put and could keep him there.
With all due respect, that’s depraved. And it’s not how we operate. We hold powerful people accountable across partisan lines, but when it comes to everyday people, we aren’t going to hold their feet to the fire over their personal political views. The idea that anybody could deserve this because of how they voted is deplorable, and we strongly reject it.
Any journalist who would play “gotcha” games with victims of government cruelty to feed some perverse appetite for political schadenfreude on social media has lost their way. “FAFO” (an abbreviation for, “F— around, find out”) may be a popular way for some folks on social media to answer the suffering of people whom they perceive to be their political opposites, but it’s poison to the journalist’s soul.
We don’t expect everyone to have a limitless well of compassion. But doing our job well requires us to continue to exercise compassion and empathy toward everyday people from all walks of life, backgrounds, beliefs and political persuasions—even when it’s hard. But for the record, I don’t think it’s ever hard for Nick Judin to empathize with other people. It’s the only way we can tell their stories.
Yet, we know that the Eriksens are just one of many families who have and are going through ordeals like this right now—and most of those other families don’t look like them. We want and need to tell their stories, too.
As Nick wrote in his story: “On reflection, it occurs to the Eriksens just how common their story is. One story, one man in a detention center, held among thousands of others whom ICE pulled from their communities or separated from their families. Most of their stories will never be told. Few will have the intervention of their communities or the media.”
Still, we are open to and working on telling as many of those stories as we can, with humanity always at the forefront. You can help us by sending any tips to tips@mississippifreepress.org or MFPtips@proton.me.
As a journalist in Mississippi, it takes a lot to choke me up. But I’ll admit that I shed a few tears as I edited Nick’s story on the Eriksens, from the goodbye that wasn’t, to the detained German immigrant who could no longer speak his native tongue, to the Eriksens’ gratefulness to their rural community that has come together to help them in their time of need.
If you haven’t yet read Nick’s latest story, I urge you to do so. It’s a masterclass in reporting that reveals the actions of the powerful while centering the humans whose lives are most affected by them. As his editor, I’m proud of him for the work he does and for the heart he brings to the stories he tells.
Finally, if you believe in and want to support more journalism like this, please consider donating to the Mississippi Free Press at this link. We thank you all for your support.
This MFP Voices opinion essay reflects the personal opinion of its author(s). The column does not necessarily represent the views of the Mississippi Free Press, its staff or board members. To submit an opinion for the MFP Voices section, send up to 1,200 words and sources fact-checking the included information to voices@mississippifreepress.org. We welcome a wide variety of viewpoints.