US daily crowd funds $15,000 to do story on H-1B workers

A prominent US daily has taken an unusual step of raising $15,000 to carry out a comprehensive multimedia reporting project on H-1B visas, looking at the prospective immigrants who want them and the companies that stand to benefit from loosening of regulations.

San Francisco Chronicle said it raised USD 15,000 which would be used to spend on doing the story through more than 200 individuals and in a little over two weeks on H-1B visas – that remain highly popular among IT professionals from countries like India.

“We don’t want to explore the pro/con arguments. We want to bring you the stories of the people affected,” it said.

“We know that the H-1B visa matters to our readers in Northern California. Through this project, we’re going to get the resources to do the reporting that’s missing on this issue – a deep look at the lives of workers who successfully get a visa, and what happens to those who miss out,” the daily said.

“Our reporting starts in the Bay Area, but we’ll follow the story abroad, too. We know that families back home are just as affected by the outcome of a visa application, so we’ll work to bring you their stories as well,” the daily said indicating that its reporters would travel to India for the story.

The daily said through the story, it will answer questions like what is needed for a successful visa application; how do someone’s career options change – for better or worse – if he or she receives a visa; what happens to those whose visa applications are unsuccessful; what is the experience of having to leave the US and find a job back home.

It will also answer questions like how do the outcomes of a visa application affect families abroad; what sort of a connection do H-1B workers have with their families back home; and how does that change if a visa is lost.

“Good human reporting takes time, resources and investment. Your support lets us pursue this story in a way no one else can. To do this story correctly, we know that a reporter needs the resources to spend time with these workers and to meet their families abroad,” the daily said.

“This crowd funding campaign is a unique way to make those resources available. With your support, a reporter will be able to follow this story across the Bay Area and overseas. And by setting the budget at USD 15,000, we’ll have the resources to develop rich photos and videos to accompany the story as well,” said the Chronicle.