How do journalists decide which refugee stories to cover? What makes a pitch stand out? This is the first in our new series where IMIX talks to journalists who cover migration and refugee issues - giving the sector a direct window into how newsrooms work. First up is Lin Taylor.

This week, Reform UK set the immigration agenda from opposition, a legal challenge exposed the human cost of closing safe routes, and three individual stories cut through the noise in ways the statistics never could. Our analysis of what was covered, what wasn't, and what the sector can do with it.

Jim Ratcliffe's claim that Britain is being "colonised" by immigrants continued to dominate headlines - revealing how extreme rhetoric goes mainstream. Damning reports exposed government rejecting expert advice on farmworker exploitation and child age assessments. And the "one in, one out" deportation scheme faced scrutiny as journalists documented returnees living rough in France. Three patterns emerged: dangerous language normalised, evidence ignored, deterrence meeting reality.