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Tarek Anthony’s mom has been checking on him more than usual. It’s understandable.

Tarek, the editor-in-chief of The Daily Emerald at the University of Oregon, has been leading the student paper’s coverage of ICE protests and unrest in Eugene and Portland. So far, he’s been tear-gassed and shot at (projectiles, but still) while covering the uproar.

“Yeah, my mom's not too happy with me,” he said Friday in an interview from the newsroom. “But she just bought like, three gas masks off our Amazon wish list.”

Tarek reported that he and his team were caught off guard by the escalating police action. He said protests have been going on in Eugene, where campus is located, and Portland, about two hours away, for months, but that they were always pretty peaceful. Suddenly, the situation got heated, so he’s been working to train his staffers and keep them safe with personal protection equipment.

“I'd be scared, too, if my kid was out there, but for me, it's my responsibility,” he said. “We're the only people in Eugene with a consistent, live update feature … that's what I signed up to do. That's why I got into journalism and that's why the people with me (at the Emerald) got into journalism.”

Staff of The Daily Emerald created their own in-house safety guidelines, but you might find this one-pager from the International Women's Media Foundation helpful. My colleague Al Tompkins has this two-page handout that he’s constantly updating. (My favorite pro tip: Don’t wear your press credentials on a lanyard.)

Tarek said he spent the first night manning the ship from the newsroom, but he’s been reporting and coordinating at the scene of the protests since then.

“I have learned so much more covering protests, even before this stuff, than I've ever learned in a classroom,” he said. “I think it's an excellent experience.”

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In the know

Are there CPB/ICE recruitment events taking place at your campus? Student journalists at USC and Georgia have been reporting on them. Here’s the full list. (H/T Dave Simpson)

A couple of noteworthy headlines from FIRE: The secret war against student journalists and The paper was her lifeboat — UMD called it interference

Faculty at Alabama are coming out against the decision to close two student-produced magazines.

Oh, hello, Editor & Publisher! Glad to see you joining the party: Student journalists push back as censorship tightens on campus

Congrats to the 150 Faculty Champions named last week at the Center for Community News at the University of Vermont.

College Watch has a list of almost 60 universities involved in litigation with the Trump administration. Any chance your university is involved and it flew under the radar? Check here.

President Joseph E. Aoun hasn’t spoken to The Huntington News in over three years. Good job to these students at Northeastern for calling him out.

Here’s a lead from influencer journalism expert Adriana Lacy that I won’t bury: “There's a persistent myth in newsrooms that young people have abandoned news. The data tells a different story and it has major implications for how newsrooms should be thinking about creator partnerships.”

The creep of campus censorship and overreach is chilling. This New York Times story examines the ways colleges are spying on their professors. Will student journalists be next?

The pro files

The Long Goodbye: A California Couple Self-Deports to Mexico (New York Times)

Meet the man behind the Super Bowl’s annual confetti blizzard (Associated Press)

Feedback

Have a question? Need a resource? Think about me before you dive down any rabbit holes. I have troves of links, presentations and handouts about every topic imaginable around student newsrooms and journalism education.

You can make an appointment with me for a free 30-minute video call, or just reply to this email. I’m happy to help.

Have a great week out there!