Fox News meets with Asian/Americans over offfensive Chinatown report

O'Reilly Factor 'reporter' Jesse Watters tried to interview a non-English speaking passerby in 
New York's Chinatown in his racially offensive segment.

By Louis Chan
REPRINTED FROM ASAM NEWS

TWO FOX NEWS executives met with representatives of the Asian American Journalists Association and other groups in New York yesterday (Oct. 25).

The meeting was called in response to the huge backlash after Chinese seniors were ridiculed and several stereotypes were resurrected on a Watters’ World segment aired during The O’Reilly Factor October 3.

The groups presented Fox with an open letter signed by 134 national, state and local organizations demanding a written apology to the AAPI community, diversity and sensitivity training at Fox News, a multi-part story more fairly representative of the Asian American community produced in consultation with veteran AAPI journalists, a commitment to double the number of AAPI guests on Fox to 4 percent and to increase the number of AAPI producers and reporters to 10 percent, and a commitment to meet annually with the AAPI community.

RELATED:

• Racist video spurs Chinatown forum; Fox a no-show
• Comedian gives response we want to say to Fox

The meeting was private and there was no public comment from Fox News. The names of the Fox representatives were also not released.

The tone coming out of the meeting from the AAPI groups was overall positive.

“The meeting was an open dialogue between the community and Fox News and we felt it was productive,” said Paul Cheung, president of AAJA, to AsAmNews.

“I sincerely hope that today’s events lay the groundwork for a fruitful and lasting conversation between Fox News and the AAPI community on issues of inclusion and diversity,” added Jenn Fang of the blog Reappropriate.

“We appreciate the opportunity to meet with Fox News today,” said Karin Wang, Vice-President of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles. “The segment clearly struck a nerve with Asian Americans of all ethnic backgrounds and reached far beyond New York City. We have conveyed this widespread and national anger and frustration to Fox News executives and we look forward to their response.”

Christopher Kang, National Director of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans echoed those sentiments.

“The outpouring of support for this call to action–from across the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, including many student organizations, and beyond–is a powerful demonstration of the widespread outrage and hurt this racist segment has caused.”

New York Assemblymember Ron Kim also attended the meeting. He told The Washington Post that both sides have committed to meeting again in November. He said that the group presented the men with the open letter, and that they were “taken aback” by the display.

The person from the news side of the channel, said Kim, “tried to empathizse with the community’s anger and frustration and figure out ways to continue to meet in a structured way to promote some of the lack diversity and how we can alleviate that as a community.”

Among the specific points raised by the group was the diversity of voices on Fox News.

Kim said that the network is particularly deficient on this front with respect to Asian-Americans on its broadcasts. “They’re very agreeable to increase that number,” says Kim.

Kim came away thinking that the two Fox News reps “didn’t understand the gravity of the situation.”  (Views From the Edge contributed to this report.)

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Comedian says what we all want to say to host of racist segment on The O'Reilly Factor

Screenshot

The Daily Show's Ronny Chieng interviews a person in New York City's Chinatown.

THE HORRENDOUS offensive racist interview conducted by Jesse Watters on the Fox Network's The O'Reilly Factor brought an immediate backlash from the AAPI community, a half-hearted apology from Watters and the story isn't over.

On Thursday evening, fighting fire with fire,  The Daily Show’s senior media correspondent Ronny Chieng delivered a beautiful response that all of us want to say to Watters.  He hurled an avalanche of insults at the so-called comedian (who has not tweeted since half-apologizing on Wednesday). 

“If you’re going to be racist, at least get your stereotypes right, you ignorant sack of shit!” Chieng said. “Karate isn’t Chinese, it’s Japanese, and you’re doing it in a Tae Kwan Do studio which is Korean, you f--king jack-off!”

Chieng then proceeded to interview some Chinese passers-by in Mandarin and Cantonese and received some cogent and politically knowledgeable responses including the final interview that was probably a scripted set-up. 

When asked about Watters, the man responded:

“The chickenshit reporter who came down here?” the man asked Chieng, in reference to Watters’ segment. “The one who was sent here by the larger chickenshit who didn’t come to Chinatown because he was afraid to do it himself? The one with no testicles, the one who came down here and said, ‘Let me talk to some old people, let me put them on camera without asking them, and put them on national television and make fun of them in the worst possible way?’ That asshole?”

Watch it here:

The Asian American Journalists Association wrote to David Tabacoff, executive producer of The O'Reilly Factor on Wednesday to protest the skit and Tabacoff responded by inviting AAJA President Paul Cheung to appear on the show on Friday.

The journalists' organization declined the invitation but in turn, invited Tabacoff to have a dialogue with the AAPI community in a town hall slated for Sunday. "We believe meaningful engagement can occur only if there is significant dialogue not just with us, but with the broader community," read the AAJA statement.

The town hall will take place Sunday (Oct. 10) between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. EST at the Museum of Chinese in America in New York's Chinatown.

“We encourage Jesse Watters, his producers and other Fox News staff members to attend,” the organization stated.

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Elaine Quijano makes history as first Asian/American debate moderator

FILIPINO/AMERICAN journalist Elaine Quijano has been named the moderator of the 2016 vice presidential debate, the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates announced Friday (Sept. 2).

Quijano, 42, will make history as the first Asian/American to moderate a national debate in a general election campaign. She is also the first anchor of a digital network selected to moderate a nationally televised debate.

Elaine Quijano

“It’s an honor to be chosen to help bring the issues of this critical election to the public,” said Quijano, who was born and raised in the Chicago area. She graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in journalism.

“Elaine connects today’s digital audiences with this historic 2016 campaign​,” said CBS News President David Rhodes. “Her perspective, dedication to political reporting, and important role on CBS News’s live-streaming platform make her an ideal choice to lead the only vice presidential debate this fall.”

Quijano leads political coverage on CBSN, the CBS News 24-hour digital streaming network, and has anchored CBSN coverage of primary, debate and political convention nights throughout the 2016 presidential campaign. Quijano anchors weekdays on CBSN as well as the Sunday edition of CBS Weekend News. Additionally, her reporting is regularly featured on “CBS This Morning” and the “CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley.”

Based in New York, Quijano is a versatile correspondent whose deep journalism background includes covering the White House and the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Quijano joined CBS News in 2010. Since then, she has traveled extensively and covered a variety of stories, including the Boston Marathon bombings, Superstorm Sandy, and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Quijano was also part of the CBS News team that received an Alfred I. duPont Award for the network’s coverage of the 2012 Newtown elementary school massacre.

Prior to joining CBS News, she worked for CNN as a Washington, D.C.-based correspondent. While there, she reported from various beats, including the White House, the Pentagon and the Supreme Court.

Quijano was named a White House correspondent for CNN in 2006 and covered the administrations of President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama. During that time, she reported on the Bush administration’s war on terror, his failed push for comprehensive immigration reform and the financial crisis that emerged in the fall of 2008. She also traveled around the world, visiting a host of cities, including Kabul, Afghanistan, Islamabad, Pakistan and Beijing, China. Before being named a White House correspondent, she covered Bush’s 2004 reelection campaign and the campaign of vice presidential candidate John Edwards.

RELATED: 

• Where are the AAPI pundits on cable news?
• New journalism needed for a new America

Prior to that, Quijano was a correspondent for CNN Newsource, the Network’s affiliate news service. She was part of Newsource’s round-the-clock coverage of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and reported for CNN affiliates across the nation. Quijano also traveled to Kuwait City just days before the U.S. launched its invasion of Iraq in 2003, and provided extended onsite coverage.

The vice presidential debate will cover a broad range of topics to help voters learn more about the candidates and their positions on the issues. The commission organizing the debates said the time will be divided into nine segments with about 10 minutes of discussion on each topic, and noted that the moderator alone will determine the questions to be asked.

In addition to the vice presidential debate, there are three presidential debates​​​ scheduled this fall between Donald Trump​ and Hillary Clinton​. The first, to be held September 26 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, will be moderated by NBC News’ Lester Holt. The second, on October 9, will be moderated by CNN’s Anderson Cooper and ABC News’ Martha Raddatz at Washington University in St. Louis; this debate will be a town-hall meeting style format that will also feature questions from the audience. The third debate, on October 19 at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, will be moderated by “Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace.

The vice-president debate will be held Tuesday, October 4, at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia. It will be the only debate between the two vice presidential nominees, Democratic Senator Tim Kaine and Republican Governor Mike Pence. The 90-minute debate will be presented live, without commercial interruption, at 9:00 p.m. ET on the CBS Television Network and CBSN.

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4-way Presidential Town Hall highlights journalists' confab (Update with video)

Filipino/American clarifies Trump's statements about the Philippines

From top left, clockwise, Bill Clinton, Gary Johnson, Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes and Jill Stein
spoke at the AAJA/APIAVote Presidential Town Hall.

A SURROGATE for Donald Trump tried to clarify the GOP's presidential nominee's comments last week about banning immigration from the Philippines. Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes, a Filipino/American, told a large crowd of Asian/American community leaders and journalists that he had received permission to explain Trump's comments.

The Democrats, meanwhile, was represented by former President Bill Clinton in the Presidential Town Hall held Friday (Aug. 12) at the Asian American Journalists Convention in partnership with AAPIVote. Also addressing one of the largest gatherings of AAPI people was Libertarian presidential candidate, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson and Green Party bet Jill Stein.

Reyes, who is of Filipino descent, said that when Trump suggested that the Philippine immigration should be under extra scrutiny because terrorists had taken root there, he was referring to the “terrorist elements that do exist in the Philippines,” not the country as a whole.

RELATED: 

• Trump says he would limit immigration from the Philippines
• Filipino/American anger mounts against Trump statements
• Legislators, community leaders react to panl to ban immigration from the Philippines

“What Mr. Trump was trying to communicate, and I have the full authority to make this clarification, is that he welcomes law-abiding Filipinos who want to come and have a better life and better opportunities, whether they want to live here or send money back to the Philippines,” Reyes said.

Knowing he was speaking to an audience that was already leaning towards Clinton, Reyes spent most of his speech trying to build bridges.

"We may not agree on everything. Some of you ... might not agree on anything,” Reyes said. "But it’s important we come and listen, with humility and respect.”

He said that he wasn’t always a supporter of Trump, and he doesn’t agree with everything he says. However, he said that Trump would eliminate many of the regulations that impact Asian-American small businesses and fight affirmative action in colleges, which he said unfairly targets AAPI students.

“Mr. Trump believes in America first, no exceptions,” Reyes said.

Clinton's speech explained Hillary Clinton's policies would help small businesses, implement comprehensive immigration reform, and support quality, affordable education and immigration.

However, he said, the election is referendum on what kind of nation we want to be.

"E pluribus Unum means expanding our definition of 'us' and shrinking our definition of 'them' -- not the other way around," he said. "The metaphor of this election may be walls or bridges."

Johnson touched on a host of issues, according to the Las Vegas Sun, from supporting the legalization of marijuana to starkly opposing any new taxes. He called free trade the “opposite of crony capitalism,” saying that it was devoid of government interference.

He said his support is growing and according to polls, he could garner 15 percent of the vote allowing him to participate on the three scheduled debates.

Stein, meanwhile, lost her bid to be placed on the Nevada ballot a few hours before the forum. 

She talked about how the environment was a crucial issue for Asian and Pacific Island countries due to rising sea levels attributed to climate change. She said if she was president, she would introduced policies that would pay for clean energy technologies by cutting spending on health care because a cleaner environment would be a healthier environment.

The historic four-way, three and one-half hour Presidential Town Hall was the highlight of the Asian American Journalists Association's National Convention held at Ceasar's Palace in Las Vegas.

APIAVote data shows that Asian Americans, though far from monolithic, increasingly identify as Democrats and have been turned off by exclusionary rhetoric from Republican candidates.

If you want to  listen to almost four-hour entire town hall, watch the video below. (Earlier versions of this post did not include the video.)

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Bill Clinton, Gary Johnson will appear at AAPI Presidential Election Forum, Aug. 12

During the DNC convention, former President Bill Clinton spoke glowingly of his wife, Democratic nominee for
President of the U.S., Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Reprinted from AsAm News
FORMER President Bill Clinton and Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson will address Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) groups on Friday, Aug. 12, at a presidential election forum co-hosted by APIAVote and the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) in Las Vegas.

Bill Clinton will be representing Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, and APIAVote and AAJA have noted that they've also awaiting word from the Trump campaign for their possible participation in the historic event.

Libertarian candidate for President,
Gary Johnson.

"This tri-partisan AAPI Presidential Election Forum is historic," Paul Cheung, AAJA president, wrote in a post on AAJA's website. "For the first time, the Republican, Democratic and Libertarian presidential campaigns will directly speak at the same event to the AAPI community at large."

RELATED: Top ten reasons to go to the AAJA convention

Rep. Judy Chu, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), and Rep. Mike Honda are also expected to speak at the forum, which is scheduled to take place Friday, August 12 — during the annual AAJA national convention — at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.

According to AAJA, nearly 4,000 community leaders and journalists are expected to attend the forum, in addition to "watch parties" hosted across the country by AAPI community groups.

The forum will take place one week after Hillary Clinton addressed a joint gathering of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) and the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) in Washington, DC. According to NAHJ and NABJ organizers, Trump declined their invite to address the groups.

Hillary Clinton has previously addressed the AAPI community during her campaign. In January, Clinton spoke at the launch of her campaign's official AAPI outreach efforts, AAPI for Hillary, as well as at a gala in May hosted by the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS).
The AAJA convention begins Aug. 10 and is still accepting registration at the door at the Ceasar's Palace convention center.

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AAJA: Richard Lui offers the Top 10 reasons to go to the journalists' convention

RANDALL PARK will be speaking at the AAJA National Convention next week, but even he might be upstaged if one of presidential candidates makes an appearance. 

It may not quite the long shot that it might first appear to be. Since Nevada is one of the key swing states that could determine the next POTUS, organizers hold out hope that someone from the Clinton and/or Trump campaigns will make an appearance at the AAJA confab.

Because of the presidential campaign this year, CNN's Richard Liu (in the video, above) hints that someone from  one of the campaigns will be a surprise guest.

Randall Park

Of all the campaigns, Clinton's outreach efforts to the AAPI electorate has been the most aggressive.

Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee for U.S. President, has already confirmed that she would attend the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) and National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ)'s joint convention this week in Washington, D.C. 

The Asian American Journalists Association National Convention will be held in Las Vegas this year at Ceasar's Palace, Aug. 10-13. It appears that the AAJA event will include more community organizations than usual and thousands of AAPI are expected to descend on Las Vegas.

The co-emcees for the 2016 Opening Reception to be held Wednesday, August 10 of the 2016 AAJA National Convention  will be Michael Kim, lead host for 120 Sports, and Michelle Yu, sports anchor and reporter for SNY.

Ramy Inocencio, anchor and correspondent for Bloomberg Television, and Annalisa Burgos, a freelance journalist with over 16 years of news and lifestyle reporting, will co-emcee the 2016 Silent Auction to be held Friday, August 12. 

Angie Lau, anchor for Bloomberg Television’s flagship morning show First Up with Angie Lau, and John Yang, correspondent for PBS NewsHour, will co-emcee the 2016 Scholarship and Awards Gala to be held Saturday, Aug. 13.

Actor Randall Park will headline the big social event of the convention, the Annual Scholarship & Awards Gala. Park will be headlining the event. He is best known as Louis Huang on the hit ABC sitcom, Fresh Off the Boat, which was the first network television show to focus on an Asian/American family in 20 years.

Besides the main events each day, there will be workshops and seminars for journalists or would-be journalists to sharpen their skills, network or seek employment.

There are only a few more hours to register online. The last day to register online for the convention will be Aug. 3, 2016 at 11:59 PM EST. After this date, registration will only be available on-site beginning August 10.

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For more news about Asian/Americans & Pacific Islanders, read AsAm News.

Asian/American conventions this summer should reach out to help heal the nation's racial division

THE NATIONAL CONVENTION for the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) kicks off today in Las Vegas.

On July 21, the Organization of Chinese Americans  (OCA) will meet for three days in New Jersey for its 43rd annual convention.

A couple of weeks later, the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) will be staging its 12th National Empowerment Conference on August 4-7 in Philadelphia.

On August 10, the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) will convene in Las Vegas.

The Asian/American organizations are meeting during an unsettled time in the nation's history and in the midst of an unprecedented presidential campaign that could determine the direction of the U.S. for decades to come.

We can expect speeches, panels, workshops, galas, dinners and a lot of pats-on-the-backs as the leaders of their respective communities reenergize themselves for the coming year's activities and projects.

We hope they take the opportunity to make a bold statement to bridge the apparent gap between the Asian/American and African/American communities. 

The differences between the communities were brought to the fore with the Peter Liang and Akai Gurley case when large Asian/American demonstrations were held across the nation on behalf of former NYPD cop Liang. His supporters felt that he was a scapegoat for all the shootings of black people by law enforcement.

RELATED: Dear Asian Americans ... Black Lives Matter

Gurley's supporters also sought justice for the fatal shooting by a police officer. Gurley's shooting was just one in a growing string of police shootings from Ferguson to Detroit to the latest shootings in Minneapolis and Baton Rouge. For many, the shootings were manifestations of the injustice, racial profiling and unequal treatment at the hands of law enforcement. The anger and frustration amplified because all the shooters (except for the lone Asian officer) were not punished or convicted. That anger and frustration gave birth to the Black Lives Matter movement, 

The so-called "joke" disparaging Asians during the Oscars telecast hosted by African/American host Chris Rock left many Asian/Americans shaking their heads in disbelief at how easy it was to joke about Asians. Adding salt to the wound was the fact that this year, a heavy emphasis was placed on diversity because of the #OscarsSoWhite controversy.

Besides the violence in the streets and the marginalization on the Oscar stage,  the anti-affirmative positions taken by some Asian immigrant groups is being used as a wedge to separate Asian/Americans from other  beneficiaries of the affirmative action college admission programs -- African/Americans and Latino/Americans.

Conservatives love to throw the model minority myth into the face of other minority groups which, in turn, divides us from what should be our natural allies in a country still dominated by Euro/American culture and institutional power in education, employment, politics and in the criminal justice system.

RELATED: AAPI leaders respond to shootings in Minnesota, Louisiana and Dallas.

Asian/American voices are unheard or marginalized -- that is, unless we say or do something that solidifies our model minority image as patsies for those who are really in power -- like filing complaints or lawsuits against college admission strategies that seek to diversify their student body.

That's why the organizations holding their conventions this summer need to take the opportunity to bridge the growing gulf between our communities and other communities of color, especially the African/American community which paved the way for the civil right gains Asian/Americans have enjoyed in the last 50 years.

RELATED: Model minority - the myth that won't go away

Black Lives Matter is not intended to say ONLY black lives that matter. The demonstrators of the BLM movement are saying that black lives matter TOO! We already know that white lives matter. (Look at America's emotional outpouring in response to the terrorist attacks in Paris compared to the way they reacted to attacks in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Istanbul, Africa, Indonesia and Bangladesh.)

As leaders of our communities, these organizations should make a clear statement where they stand in the current context of the inequities that exist in our criminal justice system, not only by front line police officers but also in the courts, the prisons and in rehabilitation.

By doing so we should recognize that we have more in common with other minority communities than we have differences and that our goals of equal treatment and equal opportunity under the law, in the board rooms, on the job, and in the classroom are goals we all can strive for -- together.

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For more news about Asian/Americans & Pacific Islanders, read AsAm News.

No apology for use of racial slur in a headline

THE RACIAL SLUR used in a headline by the Washington Post for a story about Yao Ming's impact on the NBA has generated a bit of discussion among journalists that may, or might not be, of interest to other people outside of that profession but it is something journalists talk about all the time, or, at least they should.

Media critic Richard Prince found the article on AsAm News, which has permission to reprint my posts. As a better known writer than me, he has the access that our all-volunteer effort doesn't have.

RELATED: Washington Post changes use of racial slur in headline

Prince was able to get in touch with the Slot at the Washington Post that approved the controversial headline. Prince writes in his blog, Journal-isms:

As it turns out, according to Fred Barbash, who edits the Post’s “Morning Mix,” where the story appeared, the story and headline were written by a Chinese-American “who is quite sensitive to this issue.” She used the word “Chinaman” in her story as an example of the slurs to which Ming was subjected: 

“During a Rockets game in 2004, former basketball player and TNT broadcaster Steve Kerr also referred to Yao as a ‘Chinaman,‘ a derogatory term dating back to the mid-1800s, when Americans feared that the ‘Yellow Peril’ would dominate the labor force. (Kerr later apologized.). . . .

Barbash told Journal-isms by telephone, “I realize that some people find it offensive. I found it germane to the story and avoided sugar-coating it.”

Barbash messaged later, “Having now read this, it’s way off base. The ‘author herself’— Yanan Wang (not Wong — which copy editor let that through?) is quite familiar with the Asian American community in North America (she’s from Canada, her family immigrated from China) and wrote the headline, which was approved by me. It was changed long after we went to bed (we work all night) by someone else.” Headlines are changed sometimes three or four times in the course of their web life, Barbash said. 

There was no apology.

The offensive headline

Barbers got a little snarky there, eh? That doesn't bother me, but never mind.

The AsAm News got to see the strongly worded letter to the WaPo  from the Asian American Journalists Association that explained the AAJA's objection to the offensive term  that was used in the headline.

In a weakly worded explanation, a WaPo spokesperson responded:

“The story deals with the bigotry Yao Ming encountered and had to overcome. The headline was an effort to convey that, and the story also makes it clear that this is a derogatory term.

“During a Rockets game in 2004, former basketball player and TNT broadcaster Steve Kerr also referred to Yao as a “Chinaman,” a derogatory term dating back to the mid-1800s, when Americans feared that the “Yellow Peril” would dominate the labor force. (Kerr later apologized.) 

“In this case, the headline was modified to ensure clarity. Since there was no factual error, no correction was made.”

In other words, in the eyes of the Washington Post, no harm, no foul.

If that was truly the case, why was the offensive term removed in subsequent headline? WaPo's explanation and lack of an apology lit up the Twitterverse.

WaPo argues the headline was appropriate within the context of the story. But, I ask, once again, if the story was about an African/American athlete who overcame the bigotry aimed at him or her, would it be OK to feature the N-word in the headline? I think not.

The Washington Post generally does a good job on stories about Asian/Americans and I understand the pressure of deadlines and making quick decisions. However, it makes me wonder if less thought was put into the headline's potential to be offensive because it referred to Asians instead of another ethnic group. 

I have this sinking feeling that like this year's Oscarcast in which apparently everyone in the production thought it was OK to poke fun at Asians, in some sectors, it is still OK to offend Asians because people think, well ... we're quiet and, you know, we won't make a big fuss.

Is there even a chance for an admission of poor judgement - uh, even "a (racial slur)'s chance?" 

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A new journalism needed for a new America

Jose Antonio Vargas launches a crowdfunding campaign for a new kind of media - #EmergingUS.

AS THE United States makes the rocky transition to a minority majority country we see the great institutions - political, judicial, educational, entertainment and others struggle to adjust to the new demographic because they know if they don't, they will quickly lose their usefulness and their credibility.

One of those institutions having trouble is the news media - from the way they view what makes the news down to the composition of its work force. Right in the middle is Jose Antonio Vargas, a Filipino/American Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, who happens to be undocumented.

Besides becoming one of the most outspoken advocates for immigration reform because of his immigration status, he is using his journalistic skills to force the news industry to change the way they perceive the news and especially how they cover communities of color.

Recently Vargas launched a crowdfunding campaign for #EmergingUS, a news agency he believes can fill the void in covering troublesome issues usually covered by the traditional media giants. All he needs is a million dollars.

RELATED: Jose Vargas will make you uncomfortable

“I cannot talk about Black Lives Matter and not talk about the immigrant rights movement, and not talk about the LGBTQ movement and not talk about income inequality, and not talk about working-class white people," Vargas said in an interview with The Huffington Post. "All of those issues are interconnected, yet for the most part in newsrooms, they’re thought of as separate.”

"The way most of the East Coast-based news organizations talk about these issues," he added, "doesn't reflect the reality that is happening across the country."

Recently he created #JournalismSoWhite when he challenged the major newspapers to assign reporters of color to cover the presidential campaigns, especially since race and immigration are such huge issues.

"Asian people in this country are actually more immigrant than Latinos are," said Vargas, who now lives in L.A. "But how do we cover immigration? Is it because we think Mexican, we automatically think Latino, and then we automatically think the border, and then we automatically think illegal?"

RELATED: #JournalismSoWhite challenges news media

#EmergingUS was born in the L.A. Times newsroom, but after publisher Austin Beutner was fired in September, Vargas was forced to seek other sources of revenue in order for #EmergingUS to continue as a video-heavy independent news service.

The other big issue is the demographic shift in the country's population where census experts predict that Euro Americans will become less than 50 percent by mid-century. How Whites adjust to their new status is a major story that is already showing up in the Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders candidacies, both of whom draw heavily from working class whites who feel their privileges and entitlement slipping away.

From the #EmergingUS website, these are some stories that will be covered:

• Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, the co-founders of #BlackLivesMatter, who appear together on camera to describe the origins of this modern-day civil rights movement 
• Americans who explain their complex relationships to the race categories on the U.S. Census – who has a box and who doesn’t? Are the boxes we check accurate? 
• Immigrants who respond to Donald Trump’s policy of re-admitting the “good immigrants” to America after his proposed mass deportation. Who gets to be a “good immigrant,” and who gets to decide? 
• White Americans are an emerging racial minority in many parts of the country; White students became a minority in K-12 public schools for the first time during the 2014-2015 school year.

RELATED: America's challenge is learning to live with itself

Since the crowdfunding campaign was launched 15 days ago, #EmergingUS has raised 13 percent of their goal, or over $136,180. If you would like to help, click here.

For Vargas and the rest of the journalists of #EmergingUS, diversity is not just a goal, nor is it a side issue that is covered in Black History Month or Asian/American Pacific Islander Heritage Month - it's life in the new America every day. And that's what mainstream media is missing in their story selection and news judgements.

EDITOR'S NOTE: A word of caution, this article is news laced with opinion. Readers are encouraged to seek multiple news sources to formulate their own positions. 

 

BuzzFeed beefs up its Filipino content

TWO RECENT hires by BuzzFeed gives you an idea why that site is so popular with Asians, Asian/Americans and other minorities.

Last month, Advertising Age, noted BuzzFeed's successful strategy of targeting ethnic groups with their very specific content:

"Asian-Americans have quietly overtaken Hispanics as the fastest-growing multicultural segment in the U.S., albeit from a much smaller base, and brands are taking notice. Combined with the fact that the median household income for Asian-Americans surpasses that of the total U.S. median income by 28%, you have a highly lucrative segment that demands to be courted.

"By publishing content aimed at specific ethnic groups such as "22 Signs You Grew up With Immigrant Chinese Parents" and "21 Annoying Comments Filipinos Are Tired of Hearing," BuzzFeed has become a destination for Asian-American voices that are fresh, funny and truthful." In order to make that strategy work, BuzzFeed knew it had to create relevant content.

In 2013, while in college, Matt Ortile started out as an editorial fellow and summer staff writer for BuzzFeed. He was given free rein to talk about his Filipino identity.

Matt Ortile

Today, Ortile, at the ripe, old age of 23, has been given the role of Buzzfeed Philippines editor.

"It's quite casual, but it's been a lot of fun producing Filipino content for Filipino audiences," he said.

But for Ortile, writing BuzzFeed Philippines  #Asianallows him to stay close to his Filipino roots.

"How I dealt with being someone of color, someone who is gay, it was just really sticking to what I knew -- finding a home in that, really learning to love that part of myself," he added.

A week before Ortile's appointment, BuzzFeed hired Meredith Talusan as its first openly transgender writer assigned to write about issues concerning that community.

EDITOR'S NOTE: In earlier versions of this post, a picture of Manish Dayal was misidentified as Matt Ortile. We apologize for the error and any confusion it may have caused.

"My goal is to examine transgender issues for BuzzFeed in dynamic and multifaceted ways," Talusan told The Huffington Post. "I think BuzzFeed is an amazing fit because they also publish in many genres, and I'm really excited to see how I can utilize as many of them as I can to give readers a really deep picture of what it means to be trans in the U.S. and the world today, while still finding ways to have fun."

Talusan, whose background is in academic and creative writing, said she believes in tackling serious issues with a certain level of humor -- what she calls "balancing social commitment with self-care."

BuzzFeed LGBT Editor Shannon Keating told HuffPost:

Meredith Talusan

"Meredith's particular worldview — as someone who grew up in the Philippines, as an academic, as a trans woman well-connected to the world of trans advocacy — will enable her to take on a wide variety of projects," Keating said.

The Philippines is a viral heaven for BuzzFeed. While only 4 out of 10 Filipinos are internet users, the Philippines ranks No. 1, with 6.3 hours, when it comes to the number of hours spent using the internet per day. The U.S. ranks 12th.

When it comes to number of hours spent on social media daily, the Philippines is tied with Argentina for the top spot.

Buzzfeed's Philippine-related stories have gone viral, many reaching more than a million hits.

"Anytime a Filipino topic comes up on a global platform, one of the first comments will always be, I'm proud to be Pinoy right? You can't help but feel so happy and proud to see your motherland on a huge, huge global stage," Ortile said.

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Asian/American journalists' convention held in San Francisco

Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy

T HE Asian American Journalists Association annual national convention started Wednesday (Aug. 12)  in San Francisco.

While the big gala Saturday, Aug. 15, is the event everyone is looking forward to, there is a heckuva lot of stuff going on between now and then that will keep you busy if you attend the  4-day conclave.#CAAM

Headlining the Annual Scholarship & Awards Gala at the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero, is the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy and Melvin Mar, the executive producer of Fresh Off the Boat, the television sitcom that made history when it was renewed for a second season.

Don't miss the Center for Asian American Media screening of Off the Menu tomorrow (Aug. 12): Asian America and three AAJA member projects that will held on the first evening (Aug. 12) at the Landmark Embarcadero Theater, two blocks from the hotel.

CAAM event
8-8:30pm – Guest registration and reception with appetizers and drinks at the Landmark Embarcadero Theater8:40-9:10pm – Three AAJA member projects9:15-10:15pm – Off the Menu: Asian America film screening

Melvin Mar

10:15-10:30pm – Q&A with Director Grace Lee

Among the speakers are Angela Sun, executive producer of the documentary Plastic Paradise; Phil Yu, executive producer of Awesome Asian Bad Guys; Sonia Narang, director of Resilience; and Grace Lee, director of Off the Menu. 

There will be a whole lot of workshops, anything from "How to tell your newsroom that it might be racist" to "Humility will take you far, then nowhere." 

And since this is the San Francisco Bay Area, home of Silicon Valley, there will be a wide range of workshops on the new media with some of the people who work in the high-tech industry, from Buzzfeed's Eugene Yang to a Hip-Hop artist with a law degree, Hopie.

It's a full schedule and its worth your time if your job will let you off for a few days. If you are a student, I definitely recommend that you attend to find out what the future might hold for you. If you participate in Career Fair, bring resumes and dress appropriately, even you print journalists. Most of the "big boys" will be there Associated Press, Fox, NBC, McClatchy, CNN, Bloomberg, etc. (Why doesn't the AAJA and the industry give any respect to ethnic media?) I contend that ethnic media provides a viable way to gain experience for young journalists and a way for mainstream media to learn about ethnic issues.) 

For foodies, there will opportunities to sample the best food the city has to offer including the best bao or the best burrito in San Francisco.

Are you thinking of a mid-career change? For veteran journalists, it is a chance to see what you need to brush up on, meet old friends and see what's coming your way in your profession. Journalists of color are still in short supply in newsrooms across the country despite the high-sounding platitudes of the publishers.

You can still register but you have to do at the convention. Here is the cost. Online registration is way past due folks, sorry.

Have fun!

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