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— The WORD
— Harry Potter is a DREAM Act Kid

With the economy and politics in turmoil, what are the election trends? Who do we watch, why and how do we get the story? Please join a panel of experts who can help shed light on how state and city governments work; who holds the purse strings; how to measure what’s happening on the ground; what all this could mean to your community.

File Photo: On assignment for a story.

For her journalistic work with New York Times Reporter Kirk Semple for “Suicides Soar Among New York Koreans,” Jang, who speaks and writes fluent Korean, and interns for New America Media, earned a Contributing Tag at the end of the story.

NYT news lead for the double suicide of Yongho and Soonhee Kim, February 25, 2008:

They had navigated the move from South Korea and opened a nail salon on Long Island, but by last winter, Yongho and Soonhee Kim were in debt and deeply unhappy. They were fighting a lawsuit over nonpayment of rent on the Long Beach salon and were months behind on rent payments for their apartment in Oakland Gardens, Queens. The bank had repossessed their car.

Courtesy The Korean Times

Soonhee, left, and Yongho Kim.

At dawn on Feb. 25, the couple left a note for their 20-year-old daughter outside their apartment door, doused themselves with gasoline and set themselves on fire, the police said. The blaze killed them and destroyed their home.

“They 100 percent lost hope,” said Mr. Kim’s brother-in-law, Chi Kun Park.

An earlier story was published/broadcast by NAM in July. NAM’s Odette Keely interviewed Jang about a piece that the Korean Times in NYC wrote about Korean suicides in America.

The editorial campaign was organized by New America Media, a San Francisco-based organization that represents more than 2,500 ethnic media outlets.  It is the first time ethnic media across the nation, including Black, Hispanic, and Asian media, have collaboratively published an editorial on the issue.

“Ethnic media reach more than 60 million adults in America,” said NAM Executive Director Sandy Close.  “The ethnic media is using its clout, its channel to ethnic communities, to come together to rally support for immigration reform, an issue that cuts across communities.”

Appearing in newspapers, websites, blogs and other media outlets, the editorial calls on “Congress to to move decisively on immigration reform because there are few issues as important to the nation’s well-being as an overhaul of the inefficient, inhumane and economically debilitating immigration system.“

The editorial asks readers and viewers of ethnic media outlets to contact Congress and urge their lawmakers to make immigration reform a priority.

The response of ethnic media to the editorial shows that immigration is a top priority issue for all ethnic communities and the ethnic media are a key bridge to public debate for ethnic and immigrant audiences, said Marcelo Ballvé, who helped coordinate the campaign for NAM.

“The media have been extraordinarily engaged and excited to participate,” said Ballvé. “A Portuguese newspaper decided to translate the editorial into Portuguese on its own and make it available to other media who might want to use it. A Chinese radio station decided to read it out on the air.”

African American newspapers, Spanish radio, Chinese dailies, Indian monthlies among others have all committed to running the editorial. It is currently running in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Arabic, German, Russian, Portugese, Bahasa, Indonesian, and Urdu.

Ms. Close noted that with an audience of 60 million readers, viewers and listeners the ethnic media reach more Americans than ever before. The NAM network of ethnic media partners ranges from the major news outlets serving African American, Hispanic, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Native American to niche outlets. The most current list of media who are running the editorial is available here.

From New America Media

ATLANTA – Over the last four years, the ethnic media have picked up 8 million new readers, viewers and listeners, and now regularly reach 57 million people in the United States, according to a poll released today by New America Media (NAM). The increase comes as mainstream media, especially metropolitan daily newspapers, struggle to keep their audiences.

NAM, an organization that collaborates with more than 2,500 ethnic media outlets, released the poll during their National Ethnic Media Expo & Awards at the Atlanta Hyatt Regency Hotel.  The survey, conducted by Bendixen & Associates, contacted 1,329 African-American, Hispanic and Asian-American adults. It has a 2.7 percent margin of error.

“The poll results demonstrate significant penetration for the ethnic media,” said Sandy Close, NAM’s executive director, noting they regularly reach 82 percent of African-American, Hispanic and Asian-American adults. “The thirst for relevant news and information has made many residents of ethnic communities turn to media outlets that do substantial reporting on their culture, issues and neighborhoods. The increase in ethnic media audiences is incredible, considering the declines that many mainstream media outlets are confronting.”

Moreover, the poll found that Asian Americans reported that they turn to ethnic media for news coverage of their home countries.  For instance, new ethnic television stations, such as KCNS-TV (Chinese) in San Francisco and VATV (Vietnamese) in the Washington D.C. metro area, are popular because of their home country coverage.

Read more here: nam_poll

WORD writer Eunji Jang  is in Atlanta. The WORD editor ain’t there cause of a bicycle accident. If Jang isn’t overwhelmed by a lot of work – she’s working on project drawing on her fluency in Korean plus manning a table with pamphlets about Hunter as well as pursuing her own projects – she might deliver some updates or news about the expo.

On with the quickie:

OUTSTANDING PRINT, WEB AND BROADCAST REPORTING

ATLANTA – New America Media  the nation’s largest association of ethnic media outlets, today announced winners of its National Ethnic Media Awards honoring exceptional contributions to journalism by members of the ethnic media.

More than 300 entrees were submitted for 17 reporting categories ranging from In-Depth/Investigative Reporting to Blogging. Judges from universities, mainstream media and community-based organizations selected the winners, who will be honored at NAM’s National Ethnic Media Expo & Awards on June 4-5 at the Atlanta Hyatt Regency Hotel. The awards will be presented on June 4 at 6:00 pm, an event that will be co-sponsored by NAM and the University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism.

Sandip Roy, coordinator of the awards, said the entries came from a wide range of ethnic media outlets – from Polish newspapers in New York to Hmong journals in Minneapolis to Spanish language television in Los Angeles.

“Our national awards are the grand finale to a series of regional awards honoring outstanding journalism in Boston, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington D.C.,” said Mr. Roy. “These have been difficult times for journalists and their media companies. It was gratifying to review print, broadcast and Internet work that made tremendous contributions to ethnic communities.”

At the National Ethnic Media Expo & Awards convention, NAM will showcase the winning entries as examples of the important role that the ethnic media plays today in communities across the country. “Too many people are still unaware of the ethnic media’s reach into communities,” Mr. Roy said. “Our Atlanta convention will be a coming out party, one that gives the nation a better appreciation of the quality and depth of the ethnic news media.”

Among the journalists cited by the judges, Claudia Núñez of La Opinión in Los Angeles won first place in an investigative category for a special report on the masterminds of a group trafficking Mexican immigrants and keeping them in virtual enslavement in California restaurants.

In Minneapolis/St. Paul, Phil Lee of the Korean Quarterly was incensed when the Ladies Professional Golf Association announced new rules that would require golfers to be fluent in English. He responded by writing a blistering editorial, his first editorial ever, which won the award for Best Commentary.

The editors of Azizah magazine in Atlanta showed how going green was actually also good Islam. From car-shares to recycling it was all about how to be good regent or khalifah on earth as Allah had envisioned the role for humankind.

“The award entries clearly demonstrated the breadth of the ethnic media,” said Sandy Close, NAM’s executive director. “The ethnic media is reporting on stories that are making a difference in communities throughout the nation.” Ms. Close noted that NAM will be releasing a poll at the Expo in Atlanta documenting that the ethnic media has been growing, while mainstream media has struggled to keep readers.

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(To schedule interviews, please contact Alicia Ingram, (404) 493-1724 ingramalicia@bellsouth.net or Michael K. Frisby (202) 625-4328 mike@frisbyassociates.com.)

Below is a complete list of the 2009 National Media Awards winners. They can be viewed online at http://expo.newamericamedia.org/winners

Best In Depth /Investigative
Kai Ma “To Have and to Hold” KoreAm Journal
Runner Up: Chris King, “New Beginning” St Louis American
Hon Mention: Anish Majurndar, “Murder & Mourning in Baton Rouge”
Little India

Best In Depth/Investigative (In-Language)
Claudia Núñez, “Twenty First Century Slaves” (a series) La Opinión
Runner Up: Weijiang Huang, “American Dream in Single Room Dwelling”
Sing Tao Daily, San Francisco
Hon Mention: Milagros Melendez, “I Want to Be With My Mom”, El Tiempo
Latino

International Affairs
Winner: Farkhunda Ali “Palestinians Remember Their Catastrophe” Muslim Link
Runner Up: Lou Ann Matossian “Institute of Turkish Studies Chair was
Ousted for Acknowledging Genocide”, Armenian Reporter

International Affairs (In-Language)
Winner: Rong Xiaoqing “Dragon Children Return” Sing Tao Daily, New York.
Runner Up: Thaer Abbas, “Civil War Looms in Lebanon”, Aramica
Hon Mention: Yu Ting Zhou “Foreign Students: The Neglected Group”,
World Journal, New York

Healthcare
Winner: Norma de la Vega “Diet, What Diet?” Enlace
Runner Up: Sunita Sohrabji “Postpartum Depression: South Asian Women
Suffer in Silence” India West

Arts, Sports & Entertainment
Almah LaVon Rice “The Rise of Street Literature” ColorLines
Runner Up: Emily Driscoll “Smashing Comeback” Little India
Hon Mention: Kai Ma “High Rollers” KoreAm Journal

Arts, Sports & Entertainment (In-Language)
Winner: Leslie Froelich “A Mixture of Languages” Mundo Hispanico
Runner Up: Boon Hon Choo “Off-Track Betting Stations” World Journal, New York

Commentary/ Editorial
Phil Lee “LPGA: Does This Stand For ’Lees, Parks Go Away’? ” Korean
Quarterly
Runner Up: Jerry Sullivan, “A Twice-Told Tale of Black, Brown & LAPD
Blue” Los Angeles Garment & Citizen

Commentary/Editorial (In-Language)
Alejandro Manrique, David Coates, Peter Siavelis, “Qué Pasa Supports
Barack Obama’s Candidacy,” Qué Pasa
Runner Up: Weihang Que “ Government Officials Accountability Is Only
The Beginning Of A Sound Quality Safety System” The China Press in Northern California

Ethnic Elders
Winner: Toan Do “Sharks Are Targeting Servicemen, Elders, and
Disabled People,” Viet Tribune
Runner up: Sue Yang “The Future That Maia Henderson Left Behind,”
The Korean American Press

Photojournalism
Arindam Mukherjee “ Beyond the Burkha” Audrey Magazine
Runner Up: J Emilio Flores “The Airplane of the Deported” La Opinión

Race and Inter Ethnic Relations
Julie Ha “Neighborhood Watch” KoreAm Journal
Runner Up: Gabriela Gonzalez “The Changing Face of Faith” La Prensa, San Diego
Hon Mention: Brian Concannon Jr. “ Eating Dirt in Ireland and Haiti”
Boston Irish Reporter/Boston Haitian Reporter

Education
Winner: Erika Cebreros “Finishing School is a Complicated Job”, El
Mensajero
Runner Up: Wameng Moua “Are Hmong Schools Making the Grade?” Hmong Today

Environmental Issues
Winner: Azizah Kahera and Staff “Color Me Green” Azizah Magazine
Runner Up: Sunita Sohrabji “Green Rules Force Small Truckers Into the Red”, India West

Best Reporting on a Community Issue (Radio)
Winner: Cindy Yip & Otis Fang “Teacher’s Responsibilities vs
Survival Instincts” Sing Tao Radio
Runner Up: Alejandro Manrique, “Mass Exodus of Hispanics from North
Carolina” Qué Pasa

Best Reporting on a Community Issue (TV)
Winner: Vicky Gutierrez “Farm Kids” KVEA Telemundo 52
Runner Up: Thuy Phan “ Bone Marrow”, Saigon Broadcasting Television Network
Hon Mention: Harry Liu, “ DTV Transition” KTSF

Best Blogger on Ethnic Perspectives
Winner: The Sanctuary
Runner Up: Chris Rabb, Afro-Netizen

To learn more, and to register, please visit http://expo.newamericamedia.org.
About NAM
New America Media is the country’s first and largest national collaboration and advocate for more than 2500 ethnic news organizations. Over 51 million ethnic adults connect to each other, to home countries and to America through 3000+ ethnic media, the fastest growing sector of American journalism. Founded by the nonprofit Pacific News Service in 1996, NAM is headquartered in California with offices in New York and Washington D.C. NAM also partners with journalism schools to grow local associations of ethnic media around the nation. Our 2009 National Ethnic Media EXPO & Awards will honor excellence in ethnic media journalism, forge collective strategies to strengthen the sector, expand its role in risk communications, and improve government communications with its audiences.

Visit NAM’s homepage for news and updates on our programs here.

… read the report here.  Directed by Dr. Cristina L. Azocar and Professor Jon Funabiki of the Center for Integration and Improvement of Journalism. Written by Rene Ciria Cruz. Contributors: Thom Clark, Community Media Workshop, Chicago, Illinois; Frank Herron, University of Maryland; Gregg Morris, Hunter College, New York City; Hayg Oshagan, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan; Federico Subervi, University of Texas, San Marcos, Texas; and Pat Thomas, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.

More background reading about ethnic/immigrant news media.