Society for Features Journalism

If you missed our panel discussion on how The Minnesota Star Tribune feature writers have been covering the immigration enforcement surge in their communities, you can now watch the replay.

The journalists shared their processes for finding unexpected human angles in their coverage and for coping with ongoing, relentless stress on the job.

Click on the story to watch the webinar and to get links to the stories they shared — including Laura Yuen's column on how the surge has affected her family.

A huge thank you to Sue Campbell, Allie Shah, Laura Yuen, Reid Forgrave and Sharyn Jackson for taking the time to host this important conversation about a unique moment in our country's history.

Watch replay: Minnesota Star Tribune feature writers share tales from the front lines of the ICE surge — Society for Features Journalism On Feb. 12, 2026, SFJ hosted a timely webinar with Minnesota Star Tribune features journalists who have spent more than two months covering the impacts of the ICE surge on the streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Watch the replay and read the stories that were discussed.

If you're looking to watch something lowkey insightful and highkey inspiring this weekend, consider the presentation New York Times writer Eli Saslow gave at our conference in November.

Saslow is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner as well as winner of the 2025 Scripps Howard Award for Excellence in Narrative Human-Interest Storytelling, honoring Ernie Pyle.

Saslow described his process for illuminating large, thorny issues through small, important moments. We share 5 takeaways in the story — including letting scenes and conversations carry the story — but you can also watch the entire presentation on our new YouTube channel!

Yes, we're on YouTube now, too. 🙌 And we'll be slowly adding to our archives there, so subscribe and check back!

Eli Saslow shows how to zoom in on national tension points affecting ordinary people — Society for Features Journalism Watch New York Times reporter Eli Saslow's keynote presentation at the Society for Features Journalism conference. The Pulitzer Prize winner described his process for illuminating large, thorny issues through small, important moments.

We are thrilled to welcome Lane DeGregory and Maria Carrillo into our SFJ Hall of Fame!

We love them because they're incredible journalists and because they were helping us stuff swag bags for our conference — proof of their kindness and generosity. But don't take it just from us!

In honor of being inducted into our Hall of Fame, we invited their former colleagues to write something about each of them.

Anita Hassan, the senior news producer at HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver," calls Maria the journalist whisperer. She writes:

"Whether a veteran with a Pulitzer on your resume or an intern, you could walk into her office with half an idea, trip over your own sentences and she’ll catch the thread buried inside your confusion. She’ll notice the small detail that becomes the heart of your story. She’ll follow you through every tangent, through the meandering interview notes and even the mind-numbing details. She’ll even read all 12 of your possible ledes before helping you refine the one that was hiding in plain sight all along."

Lenora LaPeter Anton, a Pulitzer prize-winning writer, calls Lane "the people's storyteller." She writes:

"Her stories sparkle. They stun. They make you cry. And ultimately, they inspire. It’s a quality found in the greatest of writers. ...
"And if you were to sit next to Lane at the Tampa Bay Times for two decades, you would come to believe she is tireless. She would inspire you over and over to keep pursuing your dreams. She lacks the ability to give anything but her best — all the time."

Please join us in congratulating Maria and Lane for being inspiring role models, caring mentors and lifelong journalists dedicated to the pursuit of stories that connect and teach us. 🙌

Congratulations to SFJ Hall of Fame inductees Lane DeGregory and Maria Carrillo! — Society for Features Journalism The Society for Features Journalism inducted Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Lane DeGregory and veteran editor Maria Carrillo into the SFJ Hall of Fame at our conference in Phoenix on Nov. 6, 2025. Only 29 people, including Lane and Maria, have received this honor since 1997.