Newspapers and other media outlets are cutting costs. Radio and television industries are consolidating and sharing reporters and writers. In this state of the economy, tough times have come also to the Asian American Journalist Association’s (AAJA) annual convention.
But despite the lean times, journalists like Li-Ann Wee still see opportunity in the United States. Wee flew from Singapore to join 1,200 AAJA conventioneers in San Diego from Aug. 13 to 16, where she hoped to land a new broadcast assignment.
“Coming from Asia where advertising revenue has plummeted in the wake of the SARS outbreak, there seems to be a lot more opportunities here for broadcast and print journalists,” she observed. “I will tell Asian Pacific American journalists just to persist, to keep looking and not to be too fussy.”
Despite Wee’s optimistic outlook, Neal Garcia, a local freelance newspaper political cartoonist, thinks it is tougher than ever to find jobs in his profession.
“I’m having to learn other skills that I didn’t want to get involved with,” he said. “You have to be able to fit what they need you to do.”
These economic realities have also trickled down to AAJA. For the first time in memory, AAJA has begun pleading for money and has faced questions about its direction as an organization.
“AAJA is a large organization and now needs help,” said Lloyd LaCuesta.
The KTVU-TV reporter from Oakland and a former national AAJA chairman, added, “It’s time to dig in your pockets, regardless of how small or large to lend a hand! Time to fill out those envelopes at your tables.”
At the close of the convention, Mae Cheng, AAJA’s president and a reporter at New York’s Newsday, elaborated about the financial situation of this organization dedicated to promoting fair and accurate media coverage of APAs, attracting APAs to journalism and increasing positions for journalists and management.
“It’s been an immensely tough year for everybody,” she said. “People have been laid off. People have left the industry to seek better opportunities elsewhere. For AAJA itself, it was very difficult for us to raise money for this convention.”
Cheng adds the organization isn’t broke and she is confident it “will at least break even this year.”
Although AAJA finances may be austere, the organization received a sizable gift from the late Suzanne Ahn. Last year, the Dallas neurologist, who died several months ago of inoperable lung cancer, donated $100,000 to AAJA for cash awards given to those who probe APAs’ fight for justice. At the gala, her family spoke of Ahn’s activism and the need to involve others. Her daughter, Kimberly, spoke of her mother “dragging me along with her to protests when I was 10 years old.”
“This award meant a lot to Suzanne,” said Dr. Steven Hays, her widower. “I hope it stimulates others to get involved.”
“I’ve learned to appreciate what my mother did,” added her son, Foster. “It has given me a new perspective on what it means to fight for social justice.”
The first Suzanne Ahn Journalism Award for civil rights and social justice was presented to Helen Zia, an activist and author of the book Asian American Dreams.
The award could represent the journalism association’s need to rededicate itself to social justice and civil rights, according to one AAJA award winner.
Cynthia Gouw of KQED Radio in San Francisco believes the organization needs to return to some of its original goals of fighting discrimination and injustice, especially in the defense of APA reporters.
“I know AAJA has a lot on its plate,” she said, “but now that we have more members than ever in the industry, it would be really great to see more of an activist approach, especially when AAJA members face discrimination and the glass ceiling.”
Gouw said, “AAJA can show its support with letters and phone calls to news executives to show that we’re a group to be reckoned with.”
However, to be “reckoned with,” AAJA needs to increase its public profile and membership, said KPIX-TV sportscaster Rick Quan.
“I think AAJA needs to make itself more visible and more of a player,” he said. “A lot of my friends at work don’t even know what AAJA is or didn’t even know there was an APA journalists group.”
APA writers don’t know whom to turn for support, he said.
“If something did happen regarding APA journalists, people would know where to go for a response. It doesn’t have that kind of clout just yet.”