Watchdog Writers Group Fellow Molly O’Toole on narrative storytelling
At a workshop for Missouri School of Journalism students, the fellow with the Watchdog Writers Group shared lessons from her career
COLUMBIA, Mo. (Dec. 11, 2025) — Molly O’Toole says immigration is “the best damn beat in journalism.”
O’Toole, a Pulitzer Prize winner and fellow with the Watchdog Writers Group (WWG) — a nonprofit fellowship program at the Missouri School of Journalism — is at work on her first book, “The Route,” which follows migrants from around the world on their challenging journey through South and Central America to the United States.
The WWG hosted a Lessons from the Field Workshop for University of Missouri students presented by O’Toole. She discussed how to cover divisive topics, research complicated issues and tell human-focused stories.
“Immigration is probably one of the most, if not the most, heated political divisive issue in our country,” O’Toole said. “That actually is not new. Even as we tell ourselves that we’re sort of this nation of immigrants and that immigration is this intrinsic part of the American origin story, the American identity, it has always been a battleground as well.”
She started her workshop with a presentation about immigration in the U.S. She showed numbers, maps and pictures to highlight how immigration is a complex issue that is often misunderstood.
In her presentation, she asked the audience trivia questions about immigration. One of her questions was, “Where is the border?” Students responded with state names such as Texas, California and Arizona.
However, the U.S. border is much bigger. O’Toole explained how the border includes a 100-mile enforcement zone from both land and water.
“Border Patrol can actually operate with the same sort of powers that they have at the U.S-Mexico border,” said O’Toole. “Most people don’t think of Chicago. They don’t think of Detroit. Border Patrol actually has pretty significant power, especially in terms of things like search and seizure. This is really important, and not just for citizens, but for journalists who are covering immigration.”
The point of the exercise was to show how even though immigration receives extensive news coverage, many people hold misconceptions, even with basic facts.
“Immigration is probably one of the most, if not the most, heated political divisive issue in our country. That actually is not new. Even as we tell ourselves that we’re sort of this nation of immigrants and that immigration is this intrinsic part of the American origin story, the American identity, it has always been a battleground as well.”
— Molly O’Toole
O’Toole said misinformation abounds partially because it is a complex issue in law and policy.
She said a way to combat misinformation is to tell stories of real people experiencing the immigration system through on the ground reporting. O’Toole followed her subjects in the Darien Gap, a roadless, dense jungle in Panama and Colombia that all migrants coming from South America on foot journey through. Although O’Toole traveled to South and Central America for her reporting, she said any journalist can do it, whether they travel around the world or stay in Columbia, Missouri.
“You may not be able to go on this world-spanning reporting trip to try and get the reality of what’s being described, but you can do this yourself,” O’Toole said. “It’s about leveraging whatever the power structure might be.”
She said this could be done in reporting on subjects such as the University of Missouri or the State Capitol. O’Toole explained the way to tell a good story is to give “voice to the ‘humans,’ the people without the titles.”
She then discussed how to protect oneself as a journalist. O’Toole stressed the importance of having situational awareness and being transparent about who you are to sources.
“When you have a conversation with someone you want to interview them, being really clear about who you are, where this is going to go, how you want to use this interview. I think that’s going to go a long way in terms of your source’s security,” said O’Toole.
In her book, she mainly focuses on her subjects’ grueling journey to the U.S. However, even when they get to the U.S., immigrants still struggle, especially with recent targeting of immigrants by the Trump Administration.
O’Toole explained how during her writing process, because of the recent policies by the administration towards immigrants, she has had to consider the safety of her subjects and how to portray them in the book without jeopardizing their lives in the U.S.
“When you have a conversation with someone you want to interview them, being really clear about who you are, where this is going to go, how you want to use this interview. I think that’s going to go a long way in terms of your source’s security.”
— Molly O’Toole
“I have to constantly make adjustments, so I’m constantly having conversations with them, because the situation is constantly changing,” said O’Toole. “If you develop those best practices, I think that they really will help you, whether you’re working on a short-term project or a long-term project, because I’ve had these constant conversations with them, and it’s more of an ongoing conversation than a one-time conversation about consent.”
Since O’Toole followed migrants from around the world, they spoke many different languages. WWG student researcher Ivy Reed, who is working with WWG fellow Michelle García reporting on the U.S.-Mexico border, asked how to navigate language barriers as a journalist.
“If you’re interested in covering immigration, learn another language. It’s the greatest superpower that a reporter can have,” O’Toole said.
While O’Toole speaks Spanish, she sometimes uses a translator for sit down interviews, or tools such as translator apps or A.I.
O’Toole was also asked how she develops trust with her sources. When she is assigned a new beat, she reads what has already been covered but also calls experts on what hasn’t been covered and what the media has gotten wrong.
“Just being willing to admit you don’t know, to try to better your understanding of something in order to help the public and better their understanding, I think that really goes a long way,” O’Toole said.
“Conversations like this are becoming increasingly important,” says Amber Rodan, who is working as a student researcher with fellow Alec MacGillis, a senior reporter at ProPublica at work on an investigative memoir about the industrial legacy of General Electric in his hometown of Pittsfield, Mass. “Hearing about Molly’s inspirational reporting trip where she traveled the Darien Gap was such a privilege. I walked away feeling a lot more confident in the ability to appropriately cover immigration stories.”
The Watchdog Writers Group hosts Lessons from the Field workshops on investigative reporting nearly every month led by each fellow. These are open to Missouri School of Journalism students and faculty.
About WWG
Established in 2019, the Watchdog Writers Group has a dual mission: to financially support authors as they write a deeply reported nonfiction book in the public interest while simultaneously training the next generation of young reporters. The program was launched with a $1.1 million grant from the 11th Hour Project, the grant-making arm of The Schmidt Family Foundation, which continues to support the program. The WWG also receives generous support from the William T. Kemper Foundation, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the Banjo Fund, all based in Missouri.
Updated: December 11, 2025