Fund for Investigative Journalism Diversity Fellow Romina Ruiz-Goiriena’s report, “Gaming the System,” details how wealthy people navigate around U.S. immigration barriers while the other 90 percent are detained or deported. The investigation includes stories in English and Spanish, videos and an innovative video game, which allows the audience to simulate the experience and navigate obstacles. You can view the full report, published by the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald here.
Ruiz-Goiriena, who worked as foreign correspondent in Latin America and had reported on many of these wealthy expats, pursued this project for years. She got her shot to dig deeper into the story through a unique partnership forged by the Fund for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) and el Nuevo Herald, supported by the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation. Through this fellowship, Ruiz-Goiriena has been embedded with the investigative team in the newsroom of the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald for most of this year. She worked with some of the country’s best investigative editors, bilingual reporters, designers, web developers and news games experts