Student Work

These are master's projects by multimedia students at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.

Profiles of our multimedia students can be viewed on our student profiles page.

Below are student projects. Some are linked to trailer previews of their projects. In some cases full websites are embargoed as they are pitching them to publications.

Permission to Sterilize

Doctors routinely deny Pakistani women their reproductive rights

Women in Pakistan who want to tie their tubes need to get permission from their husbands. But that's not the law.

Minahil
Arif

When Birth Control Meets the Algorithm

How social media like TikTok sows misinformation on contraception.

Young women looking for advice on contraceptives are bombarded by misinformation and ads instead.

Jessica
Blough

ZSHIT

ZSHIT is a youtube channel that tells stories about the young adult experience.

Experience yourself, take the unc test.

Xavey
Bzdek

Across The Ocean

Follow the journey of stolen devices from the Bay Area to Vietnam.

Over four million devices are trafficked annually from the U.S. Where do they end up?

Inaara
Gangji

Who is Driving Chinese-Language Misinformation on X?

Chinese influencers are spouting political misinformation on X.

Ava
Hu

El Viaje Eterno | The Eternal Trip

When money determines who lives and dies in rural Mexico's healthcare system.

An hourlong drive to find a hospital revealed the challenges many face during the pandemic.

Andres
Jimenez Larios

Oakland P.D. Overtime

One Oakland police officer made $490,000 in overtime. The city can't say what he did."

Oakland says overtime is contributing to their budget crisis, but the P.D. department can't track their officers' overtime activities.

Beck
Klein

Power Slap

The fighters who take a hit to survive.

A new sport attracts young people, who sustain serious injuries with lifelong consequences.

Marquis
Chambers

Jennifer
Ugwa

Black Rural Britain

Can the English countryside be for Black people too?

A series of profiles of Black entrepreneurs shows that the countryside can be for everyone.

Edith
Matthias

Trauma In Treatment

A leading eating disorder center markets "gold standard" recovery, but patient outcomes tell a different story.

Young women went for help with their eating disorder. They left worse off.

Amy
Osborne

Mariana
Best

Bye Bye Birdies

Billions of birds vanished from North America since 1970.

Conservationists are racing to reverse catastrophic bird losses that show no sign of slowing down.

Riley
Ramirez

Stranger Danger

How Random Video Chatting Websites Impact Children’s Online Safety.

When anonymous chat services were shut down for predatory concerns, others just popped up in their place.

Anasooya
Thorakkattu

Living Under Visa Uncertainty

International students are kept in limbo under the Trump administration.

International students leave homes to build their American dreams, where immigration policy determines every major life decision.

Wanyu
Yao

Locked Out of Care

The Hidden Human Cost of Prison Health Care in California.

As federal oversight of the state prison system ends, the incarcerated worry health care will worsen.

Denis
Akbari

Censorship Knows no Borders

How Press Freedom in America Mirrors Uganda’s Authoritarian Slide.

Marion
Apio

Are Woke Games Doomed to Fail?

Some lash out at inclusion efforts in video games.

Some gamers blame "wokeness" for recent failures of games that have strong representation. But is that really why they didn't succeed?

Raymond
Matthews

Rising Water, Sinking Dreams

Climate chaos and budget strains taking over Fiji's classrooms.

Since taking office, President Trump has shut down aid programs that have jeopardized vital funding for countries like Fiji.

Shreya
Menon

Disparity in Loss

The Aftermath of LA's Two Fires.

An inadequate home insurance market and increasing wildfire risk are leaving California's most vulnerable communities at a disadvantage.

Ruchi
Shahagadkar

Slipping Into Trump’s America

Chinese immigration through the U.S.–Mexico border.

Tens of thousands of Chinese migrants have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border since the pandemic, many trading a middle-class life in China for one that’s humbler and one that remains threatened under Trump’s second administration.

Edison
Wu

Iris
Qiu

Deep Roots: New Bloom

Tradition and Change in Oakland Chinatown.

Oakland Chinatown, a cultural and commercial hub for over a century, now faces aging business owners, lingering pandemic effects, and development pressures.

Lucy
Zhu

Life in Limbo

Uncertainty for Iranian Students to obtain a U.S. Visa.

A U.S. student visa is more elusive than the dream of studying at American schools to Iranian students.

Sobhan
Hassanvand

AI Warfare, Explained

The Dept. of Defense is investing billions into AI, leaving war in the hands of systems that are biased and few understand.

The Department of Defense once said its autonomous weapons would always have humans in the loop. But those definitions are getting murky.

Simmerdeep
Kaur

They Escaped the Taliban, Now They’re Homeless in the U.S.

They worked for the CIA and supported American companies, but now they believe the U.S. has forgotten them.

For some who supported the U.S. operations in Afghanistan, life in the U.S. has been difficult.

Najim
Rahim

Gold Rush, Broken Lives

Farmers in Ghana's Ahafo North are locked in a conflict with the world's leading gold miner.

A multimedia investigation that exposes Newmont’s compensation tactics and the Ghanaian government’s complicity in exploiting its people.

Charles
Ayitey

Caught Between Two Worlds

In Silicon Valley, Chinese elderly immigrants start to reconsider their migratory lifestyle.

Chinese elders are moving to the US to settle in with their Silicon Valley children. Life isn't what they expected.

Junyao
Yang

Gen Z's digital lifeline: ChatGPT

ChatGPT. One word takes the world by storm starting in late 2022 and has not stopped getting attention.

From writing code, to editing essays, to acting as one’s career counselor, ChatGPT has transformed Gen Z.

Qianqian
"Aria" Yang

More than a Fish Market

The Vibrancy of Chinese Seafood Markets in the Bay Area.

How Chinese seafood markets are part of a cultural diaspora.

Ji-Yun
Tsai

Fire & Water

Years of fire suppression, high temperatures and drought have led to increases in severe wildfires.

One of the most concerning — and least understood — impacts of increasing wildfires is its impact on water quality.

Callie
Rhoades

This American Divide

America is more divided than ever. Is there a way out?

A six-part podcast series on what's splitting the US apart along ideological lines.

Armon
Owlia

Lo Que Hubiera Sido | What Could Have Been

Uncovering a family mystery through photos and interviews.

This AR project reveals a deeper story. This was a physical installation. Use your phone to scan the images.

Semantha
Norris

Microplastics plague Monterey Bay

Better washing machines could be the solution.

A simple filter on washing machines can protect a delicate ecosystem.

Xueer
Lu

You're now in Good Compenny

How a creative collective from Vallejo, Calif. became a pinnacle for independent success

LaRussell's rise to fame without major studio support defined what an artist can do on their own.

Kayla
Henderson-Wood

Good Game, Well Paid

Video game regulations are like the Wild West. Few rules and lots of gambling.

Kids fork over real money toward video game loot boxes and chance prizes, revealing just a hidden form of gambling.

B.
Sakura Cannestra

The Cost of Teaching

Experience the Realities of Teaching in the Bay Area through a video game

South San Francisco Unified School District loses nearly 14% of its high school teachers annually due to high cost of living.

Julie
Bisharyan

YULI: Modernizing News Access

Reinvention of the newspaper vending machine

Yuli is a Nahuatl word meaning to live or revive. This kiosk is designed with reviving newspaper vending machines for the modern digital age.

María
Bernal

Fresh Water Woes

In Nairobi, clean, safe and fresh drinking water is a luxury most live without

In low-income neighborhoods in Nairobi, access to water for domestic use is a daily hustle for most households.

Kenneth
Kipruto Ng'etich

Beyond Sustainable

Is Alaskan Kelp Farming sustainable?

Kelp farming is taking off in coastal Alaska. But can this booming industry stay sustainable and ethical as it grows?

Isabella
Fertel

Where Did All the Water Go?

A look into wells running dry in California’s Central Valley.

Wells are running dry at an alarming rate with no end in sight across California’s Central Valley.

Jocelyn
Tabancay

Ben
Derico

Brian
Nguyen

Mining Legacy

The Pollution left from Abandoned Mines

Colorado's abandoned mines still contain harmful metals and other chemicals that seep into waterways.

Laurine
Lassalle

Abortion Fraud

The anti-abortion strategy to deceive Mexican women

Health care clinics offering pregnancy care are popping up all around Mexico City. But, these are actually designed to prevent women from seeking abortions.

Yuri
Avila

Let's Tok

Can the news industry deliver on TikTok?

An exploration of how important news might be delivered on TikTok, in a way people will actually watch.

Chloe
Reynolds

Fashion Forward

The Fashion Industry, Small Creators, and Surviving Covid-19

The Covid-19 pandemic hit the fashion industry hard. But challenges bore new opportunities for small creators to rethink the long-term sustainability of our clothing.

Isaiah
Polite

Endometriosis

A common condition often misdiagnosed

Over 175 million women suffer from endometriosis, and many doctors just write it off as common painful menstruation. A new way of looking at this condition is bringing awareness and treatment options for millions of women.

Deena
Sabry

Hope at the end of the Line

An innovative transit system puts a community on the margins

A new gondola in Bogotá, Colombia was meant to give commuters an easier way to get to work. It ended up creating inequality, keeping poorer residents far from the main city.

Brett
Marsh

Rage Against the Vaccine

Anti-vaxxing movement grows following a global pandemic

A growing movement against the Covid-19 vaccines emerges, and its ties to right-wing ideology are unmistakable.

Anne
Daugherty

Second Class

Risk of being undocumented

California’s almost 2 million undocumented workers face a disproportionately high risk of being killed or injured on the job despite state laws designed to protect them.

Alex
Nieves

On The Line

Hazards of the recycling business

California has some of the nation’s most progressive recycling policies and goals, but the industry’s workers face hazardous conditions—and global market forces are adding to their strain.

Susie
Neilson

Dirty Business

Where does our plastic end up?

Plastic recyclers in Minh Khai, Vietnam wrestle with the blessings and curses of an empire built on our trash.

Francesca
Fenzi

Yutao
Chen

Stolen

The underreporting of wage theft

In California, wage theft is underreported, underenforced, and costs workers billions of dollars every year. But, you’re more likely to be prosecuted for stealing a sandwich.

Josh
Slowiczek

Sarah
El Safty

Uneven Ground

Gender inequality in construction

Women make up just 3% of lucrative male dominated construction jobs – Gender based harassment and discrimination has kept their numbers virtually unchanged half a century after affirmative action.

Mallory
Newman

New Path

Work after incarceration

More than 600,000 inmates are released from prison every year, 35,000 in California. Most are seeking a regular job that can keep a roof over their head - a challenge that’s not easy to overcome.

Saemmool
Lee

Yingshan
Deng

Pennies Per Hour

The prison workers

Most California state prisoners hold jobs that maintain prison facilities for as low as 8 cents an hour. The roles are cost-effective for the state, but critics say they don’t prepare inmates for life on the outside.

Cecilia
Lei

Smoke And Mirrors

The cannabis labor force

Cannabis legalization in California is a mess. Tax revenues are lower than expected, the illegal market is thriving and workers on the Central Coast are weighing the benefits and fears of working in a newly permitted industry.

Anne
Wernikoff

Simon
Campbell

A Search for Belonging

One community's struggle to gain Kenyan citizenship.

There are people who have been in Kenya for generations, but do not have citizenship there, meaning they can't access basic government service, can't get birth certificates or IDs, go to school past grade eight, own land or businesses, and more – this is their story.

Carlos
Mureithi

Drew
Costley

Alone

Undocumented children who have no legal representation in U.S. courts.

Unaccompanied migrant children in the heart of the Central Valley face more challenges than their coastal counterparts as they fight to remain in the country.

Misyrlena
Egkolfopoulou

Dependence

A pregnant woman is torn between drugs and the baby growing inside her.

Rachel
Cassandra

Surrounded

A regulation loophole allows pesticides to easily invade homes of people who live near farms.

A victory was declared when a new pesticide regulation banned chemical use around schools. But what happens when the children go home?

Sawsan
Morrar

Justice for Who?

A history of unequal treatment in Fresno, Calif.

On its streets — in traffic stops, searches and arrests. In its schools — in suspensions and expulsions. And in its jail — in who’s locked up and for how long. Unequal treatment is the norm in Fresno.

Reis
Thebault

Alexandria
Fuller

Motherhood & Meth

A look at the devastating impact on meth addiction.

Soaring methamphetamine addiction in Fresno County is driving an increase in child abuse and neglect, creating conditions one veteran child abuse specialist says are the worst he's ever seen. Three women recount the devastating impact meth addiction has had on their families, their children, and their community.

Mary
Newman

A Status-Driven Life

When one sibling grows up undocumented and the others as American citizens.

Briana
Flin

Bearing the Burden

Mothers in Fresno, Calif. face higher rates of pre-term birth.

Fresno’s mothers of color are suffering, and the city wants to help. Why is that so hard?

Margaret
Katcher

Condition Blue

A look into policing in Stockton, California

Stockton is one of California’s poorest cities with one of the nation’s highest crime rates. This project explores the tense relationship between the city’s police and residents of color and looks at a national initiative designed to help the two communities rebuild trust.

Leslie
Cory

City of Smoke

How Mongolia's capital is coping with its air pollution crisis.

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia is one of the most polluted cities in the world during the winter. This project looks at the city’s complex public health crisis and explores how government and community organizations are responding.

Peter
Bittner

A Town Divided

A rural Arizona town clashes over mining

This project follows Patagonia, a rural Arizona town once known for its thriving mining industry, and its bitter divide over a new mining project. Some residents believe the project will create new jobs and economic prosperity, while others believe those promises are overblown and are concerned about potential environmental damage.

Lucas
Waldron

Debts and Dreams

How for-profit colleges are failing students

In September 2016, one of the country’s largest for-profit colleges, ITT Technical Institute, closed its doors. This project investigates the effects of this closure and examines a larger system of for-profit colleges misusing federal funds and misleading students about educational outcomes.

Paayal
Zaveri

Doctor Exodus

How the mass emigration of Puerto Rican doctors left the island with a shortage

Between 2005 and 2013, twelve percent of all of Puerto Rico’s medics and surgeons left the island for the United States. This project investigates the effects of this exodus on the Puerto Rican health care system and on the lives of its residents.

Mariela
Patron

Hong Kong Through Her Eyes

A young lawmaker challenges China’s control of her homeland

This project tells the story of Regine Yau, who won a seat in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council at the age of 24 and ruffled political feathers with her outspoken stance in favor of Hong Kong’s independence.

Katherine
Wei

Who We Are

How three Egyptian youth experienced the Arab Uprising

This interactive documentary looks at the country’s 2011 Uprising from the perspective of three young Egyptians.

Manjula
Varghese

Mondo Obama

Contextualizing Obama’s presidency

This project looks back at President Obama’s eight years in office, using archival media to put his two terms into historical context.

Gabriel
Tolliver

Mountains Are Ours

A group of Afghan women find freedom in mountain climbing.

In a country where women have few freedoms, a group of aspiring mountain climbers push boundaries and venture up the mountains above Kabul.

Atia
Musazay

Manjula
Varghese

Tale of Two Stadiums

A comparative look at the Pontiac Silverdome and the Oakland Coliseum

As the Oakland Raiders head to Las Vegas, many ask what will become of the Oakland Coliseum stadium.

Juan
Reyes

Advancing Waters

A look at the effects of flooding in coastal cities

Flooding has the potential to leave 760 million people without a home by the end of the century. This project explores how three coastal cities –– Manila, Rotterdam and Los Angeles –– are tackling the issue.

Robin
Simmonds

Chasing Lithium

Charting the next world's next resource in the evolution of energy

From mining in the salt flats of Bolivia, to battery design in U.S. Labs, to China's electronic waste economy, this project explores the human, geopolitical, and environmental costs of our dependence on lithium batteries.

Rachel
Hiles

Nina
Zou

Silenced

An investigation into the murder of journalists throughout Mexico

Since 2000, about 90 journalists have been murdered in Mexico. There are no established protocols to investigate a journalist’s death in relation to his or her reporting.

Yngrid
Fuentes

The Chinese Closet

A look into the spike of HIV cases in China's gay community

For many people, China is a country with modern cities, huge skyscrapers, and the world’s second largest economy. But underneath this modern looking facade, China is still very traditional in many of its culture values. One is the country’s acceptance of homosexuality.

Larry
Zhou

Jieqian
Zhang

Fan
Fei

Transplanted

How undocumented immigrants with terminal kidney failure fight to navigate a health care system that doesn't acknowledge they exist

America's 11.3 million undocumented immigrants often struggle with health disparities. They don't qualify for federal programs; their jobs don't carry benefits. Emergency rooms are their only doctors.

Noelia
González

Jieqian
Zhang

Brett
Murphy

Port Feudal

Port truck drivers, misclassified as independent operators, become indentured to their trucks

As the trucking industry was deregulated in the 80s, truckers, mostly poor, mostly immigrant, flooded the market. Companies took advantage of this cheap, high-turnover fleet by labeling their drivers independent contractors instead of employees. See trailer

Brett
Murphy

Jeremy
C.F. Lin

The Wait

Inside the Lives of Asylum Seekers in Germany

Germany opened its doors to refugees from all over the world, and specifically those fleeing Syria. But this humanitarian problem has been touted as one of the worst refugee crises since World War II. This project aims to provide perspectives absent from much of the current news on refugees around the globe — a peek into what life is like for those who have made it to Europe in search of safety, freedom, better lives.

Melissa
Bosworth

Lakshmi
Sarah

Fan
Fei

Lure of ISIS

A look into how ISIS uses modern, online propaganda to attract westerners

Since ISIS declared a worldwide caliphate in June 2014, thousands of people have traveled to Syria from around the world to join the cause. Our package explores the motivations of westerners who join ISIS and the role the Internet plays in recruitment and radicalization.

Mara
Van Ells

Chloe
Shi

Alice
Kantor

Health Access for Undocumented Americans

A look at the health insurance option for the undocumented

Few, but a growing number of options exist for the 3 million undocumented immigrants in California to get health insurance.

Naomi
Nishihara

Nicole
West

Alicia
Vargas

Driving Poverty

How driver's license suspensions amplify inequality

Authorities issue driver’s license suspensions to keep unsafe drivers off the road, but they also issue suspensions for failure to pay fines and fees and for non-driving related offenses.

Harriet
Rowan

Keeping Tabs

Keep up with everything interactive, multimedia and immersive on the web

A curation and aggregation of interactive media in the form of a newsletter and website.

Sasha
Lekach

Mozzified

A pop-culture website dedicated to Muslim millennials

To “mozzify” is to take from American culture and re-interpret through an American-Muslim lens. The idea came about when Mozzified’s founder, Zainab, and her friends would jokingly call each other “mozzies” while in school. This was later used to define a particular culture they experienced as young American Muslims.

Zainab
Khan

The Privilege Project

Twenty-two strangers discuss personal experiences regarding their gender, race, and wealth.

We hear the term privilege often, and are expected to know about it, but are rarely given the opportunity to discuss the concept.

Lena
Dakessian

Zainab
Khan

Shaina
Shealy

Tapestry Story Reader

An app for finding great literature

Phil coded an app that aggregates hard-to-find independent literary work. Authors can also upload their own pieces.

Phil
James

Mid-Market News

A hyperlocal website serving Mid-Market San Francisco

Mid-market news serves a community along Market Street that includes the Tenderloin and Civic Center neighborhoods. It covers tech, gentrification, arts, non-profits, housing, and crime.

Ted
Anderson

Do Arms Embargoes Work?

Exploring the effectiveness of symbolic embargoes

A project that takes a closer look at arms imports and embargoes in countries subject to European Union sanctions.

Jeremy
C.F. Lin

Demographic Danger

An Israeli hospital maternity ward promotes Israeli–Palestinian coexistence.

Shaina
Shealy

Undue Burden

A story on access to abortion services in Texas and Louisiana

A documentary film about the plight of women getting access to abortion services as legislative opponents attempt to shut down clinics.

Gina
Pollack

Blind Boys of Alabama

A documentary film on the Blind Boys of Alabama

Born blind and in the deep South, a group of young boys found success through singing gospel.

Jacqui
Ipp

Jeremy
C.F. Lin

Are you a publisher interested in running some of our student content? Get in touch with us at contact [at] newmedia.report