#AAJA22: Owning our Narratives

Are hate crimes against the AAPI community the new normal and what are journalists doing to cover this issue? We’ll examine how AAPI communities are dealing with this as the nation climbs out of the pandemic. With the consequential midterm elections this year, will this issue drive AAPI voters to the polls? NBC News NOW anchor Vicky Nguyen, who hosted two specials on “The Racism Virus”, will speak with journalists, activists, and thought leaders at the forefront of this issue. And MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki will give a “big board” simulation on what to watch for from the AAPI vote in the election.

For over 50 years, Corky Lee photographed New York’s Chinatown and Asian American communities around the country. With a strong sense of social justice, he captured activists, celebrities, and everyday heroes. Sadly, we lost Corky to COVID-19. Join us for a documentary screening of "Dear Corky" and a discussion with filmmaker Curtis Chin and Corky's brother John Lee.

Entertainers and sports figures have been at the forefront of speaking out against the rise in violence against AAPIs during the pandemic. These advocates have not only broken barriers in their professional careers, but they have also experienced and overcome rejection, stereotyping, and racism. Join our discussion, as some of today’s most notable AAPIs reflect on the growing importance of representation and the challenges we all face in trying to make an impact beyond personal achievements.

As the world watches Russia's invasion of Ukraine, journalists on the front lines are documenting history as it unfolds, risking their safety, mental health, and lives. Hear from journalists who have covered the news from conflict zones and amid calamity, and learn about their process for protecting themselves and their sources while bearing witness to world events. This panel is co-presented with AAJA-Asia's N3Con, and it will be simultaneously cast in Singapore and Los Angeles with speakers from around the world.

• Joyce Koh is video reporter and on-air correspondent at The Washington Post, covering politics, breaking news and most recently the war in Ukraine. She has previously covered the 2020 presidential campaign, George Floyd protests, The White House and the national opioid crisis. Prior to coming to the Post, she covered the South Carolina state house as a television reporter.
• Danny Fenster is editor-at-large for Frontier Myanmar, an investigative news magazine. In 2021, he was imprisoned by Myanmar’s junta for nearly six months for his reporting on military-linked businesses and was awarded the National Press Club’s John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award, which recognizes journalists “who bravely push to disclose the truth in trying circumstances.” He is a 2022-2023 Nieman Fellow at Harvard University.
• Laurel Chor is an Emmy-nominated freelance journalist, photographer, filmmaker, and National Geographic Explorer from Hong Kong. She has worked for VICE, HBO, SHOWTIME, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Guardian, Reuters, National Geographic, and others. She has covered social, political and environmental stories all over the world, ranging from the Rohingya refugee crisis, to rising sea levels in the Solomon Islands, to deforestation in Paraguay. In 2020, she was named an honoree for the IWMF Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism award for her work during the 2019-2020 Hong Kong protests.
  She is currently researching the trade in manta ray gills for traditional Chinese medicine under the Oxford Martin Programme in Illegal Wildlife Trade as part of her Masters in Biodiversity, Conservation, and Management at Christ Church, Oxford University. An accomplished rugby player, she represented Hong Kong in the 2017 Rugby World Cup. She graduated from Georgetown University magna cum laude with a degree in International Health.
• Keith Richburg is the Director of the Journalism and Media Studies Centre at the University of Hong Kong and a Washington Post Global Opinion columnist. He spent more than 30 years with The Washington Post, including as bureau chief and correspondent in Manila, Nairobi, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Paris, Beijing and Shanghai. He covered the invasion in Iraq, the fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the genocide in Rwanda, and the 1997 handover of Hong Kong to China. He was the Post’s Foreign Editor from 2005-2007. His 1997 book, Out Of America: A Black Man Confronts Africa, chronicles his travels across Africa. He is President of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club, Hong Kong.

In 1992, the L.A. Riots sent shock waves through our nation, divided communities, and increased tensions between people of color and law enforcement. Thirty years later, hate against marginalized communities and police brutality continue to make headlines in our daily coverage. Join us for an in depth conversation on what we learned from past reporting and how reporting can exacerbate relations among communities of color without addressing systemic issues and cultural differences. What is the progress we’ve made? How can we continue to build a bridge of better understanding between groups? And how can we ensure that our storytelling incorporates context and history and is inclusive of all perspectives?

Meet the South Asian female journalists leading the charge in diversifying newsrooms and news coverage, and join us for a discussion on the importance of representation and diverse leadership, and how inclusion – and the lack thereof – directly impacts the coverage of some of the most pressing issues we're facing.

How can we ensure informed and engaged participation in our democracy — and elections in particular — among people of color? Facing two pivotal elections and a rise anti-democratic efforts, an informed and engaged electorate that represents all of America has never been more important. In this panel, subject matter experts will provide guidance for news organizations and journalists on how to report on and think about increasing civic participation and combating voter suppression and misinformation, and ensuring that communities of color lead their own narratives to strengthen representation going into the 2022 and 2024 elections.