#AAJA22: Owning our Narratives

Historically, the news media have whitewashed over America’s rich diversity … Asian and Pacific Islander experiences have largely gone ignored, and the rules of “objectivity” have constrained API journalists from drawing from their own lives, much less reporting from the first person perspective. But in a movement harkening back to Carlos Bulosan’s 1946 classic “America is in the Heart,” which chronicled Filipino migrant workers’ experiences, more and more journalists are digging deep into their personal, family and community lives to offer revelatory – and sometimes painful -- stories that touch the heart and lift API experiences. Moreover, journalists are experimenting with myriad techniques – memoir, video, podcasting, virtual reality, performance and more. This 90-minute interactive workshop is designed to stimulate API journalists who are leaning into their identities to tackle deeply personal, yet socially revealing, investigations. The session will be facilitated by three journalists who are on their own personal journeys.