Support Borderzine’s students and our mission to grow UTEP as a leader among HSI journalism programs

Give now to Double your gift! Donations made here before Dec. 31 will be matched, thanks to NewsMatch, a national campaign to support non-profit news in the U.S. 

Borderzine is a bilingual, online news magazine covering life on the U.S.- Mexico border that is powered by UTEP multimedia journalism students. Based at The University of Texas at El Paso Multimedia Journalism Lab and Innovation Studio, the award-winning program gives students hands-on experience following ethical practices using journalism and technology skills essential to careers in today’s communications industry.

For 16 years, Borderzine has reported insightful stories of our border community as we train and support the development of the next generation of talented multilingual, multicultural journalists in UTEP’s multimedia journalism program.

This year Borderzine joined a coalition of more than 125 colleges across the country providing student news coverage of local elections as part of the Center for Community News Elections & Democracy Reporting Initiative. Borderzine reporters produced news spots for KTEP public radio talking to El Paso voters about issues that are most important to them. Another story reported on the differences one political science class discovered when students compared their social media feeds to that of their older relatives.

Borderzine journalists learn as they report stories for TV, radio, newspapers and online media on a range of topics from immigration and government to health, education, border economics and culture. They learn how to use public records and data analysis skills for the kind of insightful reporting communities need to be well informed.

This work is important because cutbacks in traditional media newsrooms mean there are fewer internship opportunities for aspiring journalists. This makes our project even more vital to prepare young Fronterizos with the experience and portfolios needed to succeed in local, state and national media as well as with businesses and non-profit organizations across myriad platforms. 

Our fundraising provides for technology and professional experience, as well as access to conferences and learning opportunities for student journalists and faculty to make the UTEP multimedia journalism program a leader among Hispanic-serving Institutions. We are continuing to develop partnerships and projects that take the UTEP multimedia journalism program to the next level:

• Multimedia Innovation Studio – We’ve completed construction on a large studio space for broadcasting, podcasting and innovative content creation. We have some basic studio equipment but need funding for lighting, furniture and production gear.
• Stipends for guest editors and training partnerships 
• Website migration and redesign – We are migrating to a new platform, which is an opportunity to redesign our site with a content management system to ease publication, increase audience engagement and, for the first time, provide a revenue-generating opportunity and train more students on the business end of news production.
• Drone photography – Aerial cinematic techniques are becoming more mainstream and demand for aerial video content is increasing among audiences and producers. It provides a simple way to boost production value and can help multimedia journalism and digital production students have a competitive edge in the work force. We have trained almost 40 students since launching this course in spring 2025,

Community support like yours helps drive Borderzine’s national reputation as a leader in informed reporting about life on the U.S.-Mexico border and in developing a pathway of job-ready multicultural student journalists. Graduates of the program work in local media and at major news outlets including the Associated Press, Univision, Telemundo, CNN, NPR, Time, ESPN, Dallas Morning-News, Houston Chronicle, Austin-American Statesman, and many others.

As news deserts continue to expand, many communities around the country are left without critical access to reliable information. Information that’s backed by sources, facts and research. You can count on us to deliver accurate reporting that brings our community together and gives our students high quality skills and values that they will take to their professional careers representing the Borderland at home and across the nation. 

If you value the work we're doing in this challenging time for the future of quality journalism, please donate today. Make a difference in supporting our mission and continue to build our program.