Journalism | Periodismo
With inaugural leadership from Ginger Thompson, Chief of Reporters at ProPublica, journalism has become an integral part of Under the Volcano’s two-week January residency. The program views both investigative and documentary journalism as crucial tools for exposing injustice and misinformation, as well as for highlighting innovative responses to the issues of our time. .
We welcome working reporters committed to telling stories that matter, including applicants writing from or about areas of conflict or crisis. By bringing journalists together across borders in a community that also includes poets, essayists and novelists, Under the Volcano offers solidarity, community, professional guidance and ongoing connection to accomplished peers.
Together, our journalism program and master classes in literary nonfiction embody our commitment to what we call Writing of Witness, and our core belief in freedom of expression.
Who's Who
in Journalism @UTV
Tyrone Beason, senior reporter at the Los Angeles Times;
Alicia Quiñones, coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean of PEN International;
Alfredo Corchado, Mexico City Bureau Chief of the Dallas Morning News;
Angela Kocherga, news director and a correspondent for public radio station KTEP and professor of journalism at the University of Texas at el Paso.
What makes our journalism program unique
The passion behind the headlines…
Faculty member David Barstow and Breen Fellow Karla María Gutiérrez on why journalism matters.




Journalism Fellowships
We currently offer three full fellowships to our journalism master class—two for Mexican reporters in honor of Robert L. Breen, and the Truthteller fellowship for an English-language reporter. Our Black Writers Matter Fund offers sliding scale support to qualified Black applicants (talent + need)
Recent Work by Our Journalism Alumni


When Deed Becomes Word
Simone Scriven (UTV 2019, journalism) has written a stunning, magisterial piece that traces the evolution of the word ecocide as a term analogous to genocide, a concept that is gradually moving into the world of international law.


Journalist Diego Courchay on Time and the Creative Process
Mexican journalist Diego Courchay (UTV (2018 Robert L. Breen Fellow) is now an associate editor for the Delacorte Review, a joint project of the Columbia School of Journalism and the Delacorte Center.


Gabriel Sandoval (UTV2022) Appointed ProPublica’s New Research Reporter
Gabriel Sandoval (UTV 2022, Journalism) has recently joined ProPublica as a Research Reporter


Tyrone Beason’s Latest in the Los Angeles Times
Catch the latest story by LA Times reporter Tyrone Beason (UTV 2017, Journalism)
“I got my first Mexico dateline! I couldn’t have done this reporting if not for the help and encouragement of my colleagues at UTV. It doesn’t get much better than that.”
Gabriel Sandoval
“En tiempos oscuros para el mundo, Under the Volcano fue oasis y refugio para mí y mis letras. Ahora me siento parte de una verdadera comunidad de escritura con integrantes de todo el mundo.”
Karla María Gutiérrez
“As an independent journalist working on a labyrinthine project, I received invaluable guidance from Alfredo and Angela when I was unsure about the roads that lay ahead.”