Jtm-pnw-session-asian-americans
Attendees (in no particular order): Kenneth Gillgren, Joaquin Uy, Caroline Li, Rosalinda Mendoza, Naomi Ishisaka, Nicole Ciridon, Derek Wing, Sam Louie, Sanjay Bhatt, Jonathan Lawson, John Spady, Athima Chansanchai, Carina del Rosario and a representative from the Compassionate Action Network.
What are some of the news and information sources in our market for the AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) communities?
Ethnic media such as NW Asian Weekly, International Examiner, Korea Times, Filipino American Bulletin, World Journal, Viet Nguoi. Mainstream media such as network/cable television and large newspapers, such as Seattle Times. Foreign-language newspapers from home countries, accessible over the Internet. Community-based and professional organizations. Social service agencies and other government institutions.
What are some of the issues with the existing news ecology serving the AAPI communities here?
Shallow coverage of complex issues
Insufficient resources to have sustained, in-depth coverage
Community-based organizations don't know how or where to pitch stories
Gap between policymakers and the community that isn't closed just by offering translators
Need for training in media literacy, journalism ethics
What types of stories might be of key interest to these ethnic communities? Health care, immigration, food/shelter, family dynamics, youth violence, religion, digital TV conversion
What actions could we take to start addressing some of the issues identified?
AAJA Seattle can convene a meeting of the ethnic media in our market to begin seeding a diversity news network, find areas of common cause, and develop action plans. Simultaneously, AAJA Seattle and its partners can begin planning a media literacy project that brings together the broader community-based organizations and ethnic media for a discussion of media needs, access and usage.
Have Community Forums.org or some other government-affiliated entity assist us with surveys of AAPI households on media access and usage, particularly of online media. Barriers to access? Generational gap?
Use ORAL HISTORY project as a launchpad for bringing together the generations, a cultural value of AAPI communities. Work with existing stakeholders, including Youth Media Institute in White Center. Develop a story corps among AAPI youth for telling their stories and those of their elders. This also promotes healing for youth who have been disenfranchised and severed from their cultural heritage. Could also garner funding and advertising if it's high quality. TELL ME A STORY. MAKE ME CARE.
Explore forming a network with "citizen counselors" who work with King County to hold conversations in homes with ethnic families and gauge their needs. Can these citizen counselors become reporters for a diversity news network?
