{"id":66985,"date":"2024-08-30T14:43:17","date_gmt":"2024-08-30T21:43:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=66985"},"modified":"2024-08-30T14:43:17","modified_gmt":"2024-08-30T21:43:17","slug":"partnership-of-local-media-across-communities-honored-at-2024-ethnic-media-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=66985","title":{"rendered":"Partnership of Local Media Across Communities Honored at 2024 Ethnic Media Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By<\/span>Selen Ozturk<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cThis is our greatest asset: uniting as a sector so that we\u2019re the ones telling our stories,” Emil Guillermo told a packed room at the 2024 California Ethnic Media Awards.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Left to right: Emil Guillermo, Sandy Close, Regina Brown and Pamela Anchang celebrated at the 2024 Ethnic Media Awards ceremony. (Photo credit: Selen Ozturk)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cThis is our greatest asset: uniting as a sector so that we\u2019re the ones telling our stories,\u201d veteran journalist Emil Guillermo told a packed room at the 2024 California Ethnic Media Awards.<\/p>\n

About 250 ethnic media, community leaders, communications specialists and government decisionmakers attended the banquet celebration of outstanding journalism at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento the evening of Wednesday, August 28.<\/p>\n

Twenty-two judges reviewed a record 310 entries in 12 languages covering print and online, broadcast, English and in-language outlets statewide across nine categories including Outstanding Sports Coverage, The Struggle for Rights in California, Health and Health Care, Coming of Age in a Polarized Society and \u2014 receiving the most entries \u2014\u00a0 California\u2019s Culture of Diversity.<\/p>\n

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Emcees Pamela Anchang and Emil Guillermo introduce the 2024 Ethnic Media Awards winners at a ceremony in Sacramento on the evening of Wednesday, August 28. (Photo credit: Selen Ozturk)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One judge, acclaimed essayist and author Richard Rodriguez, pronounced the finalists as \u201cthe best entries I\u2019ve ever read.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of what\u2019s hidden in cultural communities reveals itself, layer by layer, through community media coverage,\u201d added another judge, L.A. Times culture and talent Deputy Editor and Nguoi Viet Daily News board member Anh Do. \u201cThis is why it\u2019s crucial to elevate this coverage through funding, skills-training, public analysis and praise. Solid and steady engagement make a big difference for smaller newsrooms. Hooray for this annual event, which motivates people to keep at the work.\u201d<\/p>\n

The awards ceremony, cohosted by Ethnic Media Services and California Black Media, capped off a two-day expo event in the state capital beginning Tuesday, August 27, featuring speakers and roundtable panelists including California State Superintendent\u00a0of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-14), Attorney General Rob Bonta, and State Treasurer Fiona Ma.<\/p>\n

\u2018Conveners of community\u2019<\/h2>\n

\u201cWho says ethnic media is dead?\u201d said Immigrant Magazine founder-editor Pamela Anchang, who co-emceed the event with veteran journalist Emil Guillermo. \u201cYou are the visible among the invisible.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Mar\u00eda Ortiz-Briones accepts her winning Health and Health Care entry, an online article for Vida en el Valle about Mexican doctors meeting the needs of patients in remote Central Valley areas. (Photo credit: Selen Ozturk)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Winning outlets included El Tecolote, with a story about ICE-detained Latino migrants finding liberation through community soccer tournaments; India Currents, with a story about an undocumented Punjabi farmworker struggling to access crucial health care in the Central Valley; The San Fernando Valley Sun, with breaking news about right-wing protestors preventing drag queen storytime at a local library; Community Media Alliance, with profiles of Japanese Peruvians shipped to the U.S. for incarceration in World War II-era internment camps; and Sing Tao Daily, for a piece about how the meeting of Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping at APEC held personal significance for high school student Justin Ma, a Chinese adoptee in America.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to investigate how specific issues impact communities, but it\u2019s also equally important that those communities get involved in reporting and understanding the issues that impact them,\u201d said Ma. \u201cThank you to EMS for letting me get my story out and sharing how it impacts people like me \u2014 your future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Eduardo\u00a0@EduardoStanley5<\/a>, was awarded first place in the category \u201cGlobal Affairs\u201d for the series “The \u201cOther\u201d Incarcerated Japanese” and “Kidnapping of the Naganuma Family in Peru” for Community Media Alliance \/\u00a0@FresnoAlliance<\/a>\u00a0at the\u00a0#EMawards24<\/a>.\u00a0#latino<\/a>\u00a0#journalism<\/a>\u2026\u00a0pic.twitter.com\/jpUtvtpBVd<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Ethnic Media Services (@EthnicMediaSvc)\u00a0August 30, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

\u201cJournalists have a lot of purposes. One of the most important, I believe, is to serve the underserved. The underdog spirit; that\u2019s what this year is about,\u201d said Korea Daily Editor Inseong Choi, accepting an award for an online article about tensions between unhoused people and local business owners in Koreatown, six months after Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass declared a state of emergency around homelessness.<\/p>\n

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Semantha Norris accepts a winning award for an online article she wrote for The San Fernando Valley Sun about right-wing protestors preventing a drag queen storytime event at a San Fernando public library. (Photo credit: Selen Ozturk)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cSince California has the largest concentration of ethnic media in the country, these awards mirror the work\u00a0of thousands of our peers working for ethnic media outlets\u00a0 across the U.S.,\u201d said Guillermo. \u201cIncreasingly we are working outside our own silos to counter hate speech and racialized disinformation no matter who the targets are, telling the stories not only of our own but each others\u2019 communities \u2026 This is our greatest asset \u2014 uniting as a sector so that we\u2019re the ones telling our own stories.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ethnic media reporters and outlets were also recognized for connecting with underserved audiences.<\/p>\n

Veteran reporter Viji Sundaram received a special award for challenging cultural taboos throughout her career with stories ranging from McDonald\u2019s french fries cooked in animal fat, to court reporter shortages worsening a public health crisis for domestic violence victims.<\/p>\n

Manuel Ortiz Esc\u00e1mez received a special media innovator award for building a mobile broadcast studio to report on isolated communities in Northern California for Spanish-language Peninsula 360 Press.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a boomerang award,\u201d said Esc\u00e1mez. \u201cI want to give it back to my team and to Sandy,\u201d referring to EMS Executive Director Sandy Close, \u201cbecause none of these stories would be possible without your help.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYears ago, when asked how she defined ethnic media, M\u00f3nica C. Lozano, then-publisher of La Opini\u00f3n, said simply, \u2018conveners of community,\u2019\u201d said Close, referring to the longest-running Spanish language daily in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

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Manuel Ortiz Esc\u00e1mez stands with Regina Brown, left, and Sandy Close, right, as he receives a special award for media innovation. (Photo credit: Selen Ozturk)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Two outlets, San Francisco-based Nichi Bei News and Inland Empire-based Inland Valley News, received special awards for being such conveners of community.<\/p>\n

Tony Morrow, Inland Valley News founder and publisher for over 33 years, said \u201cPutting together a room full of influential people like this is not an easy task. Whether we discuss urgent issues, or just bring folks together to celebrate our community, we do it with pride and joy, and we\u2019ll continue to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEthnic media will never be able to call ourselves a coalition without events like this, and it\u2019s the coalition that makes fingers on the hand into a fist,\u201d said Close, quoting awards cofounder and Oakland Post Editor-in-Chief Chauncey Bailey, who was killed while covering a story in 2007.<\/p>\n

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Ronvel Sharper celebrates his winning award for an online article written for the Contra Costa Pulse about social media, politically polarized disinformation and the youth mental health crisis. (Photo credit: Selen Ozturk)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Six outlets \u2014 Philippine News Today, Myanmar Gazette, Community Alliance Newspaper, Asian American News, Impulso News, El Popular \u2014 received special awards for collaborating across racial and ethnic divides.<\/p>\n

\u201cA victory for one of us is a victory for our whole community,\u201d said Asian Journal Publisher and President Cora Oriel, accepting the award for Philippine News Today.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou inspire all of us to realize that we can tell stories and that we can, above all, work together across racial and ethnic lines,\u201d said Close. \u201cWe are the spirit that will move the stopping of hate forward, coming together as a united front.<\/p>\n

\u201cImagine if we could make this kind of partnership the story of the hour always across our racial and ethnic communities,\u201d she added. \u201cThis is my vision of hope from today\u2019s awards.\u201d<\/p>\n

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So I was this week awarded first place by\u00a0@EthnicMediaSvc<\/a>\u00a0in the category \u201cThe Rise in Hate Crimes and Efforts to Find Healing\u201d for a story contributed to\u00a0@ChicoSolNews<\/a>\u00a0I wrote about my hometown last year!<\/p>\n

Thank you for recognizing and supporting\u00a0#localnews<\/a>\u00a0\ud83d\ude0a\ud83d\udcf0\u00a0pic.twitter.com\/mrQi7JvCR7<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Natalie Hanson (@nhanson_reports)\u00a0August 29, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

And the winners are\u2026<\/h2>\n

Outstanding Sports Coverage<\/strong><\/p>\n

WINNER | Print\/Online | El Tecolote | Mara Cavallaro |\u00a0Just Goals: Immigrants, Activists Find Hope, Liberation through Soccer<\/a><\/p>\n

WINNER | Broadcast | FNX | Sahar Khadjenoury, Frank Blanquet, Anthony Papa |\u00a0Indian Rodeo: Voices from the Indian National Finals Rodeo<\/a><\/p>\n

RUNNER-UP | Print\/Online | Hmong Daily News | Macy Yang |\u00a0USA National Sepak Takraw Team Wins Gold at the King\u2019s Cup in Thailand<\/a><\/p>\n

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Nina Mohan conducts a video interview with Nate Tinner-Williams, recipient of a runner-up award for his reporting on one Black Catholic high school graduate\u2019s experience of fighting racism throughout and after four years in a Catholic high school. (Photo credit: Selen Ozturk)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

California\u2019s Culture of Diversity<\/strong><\/p>\n

WINNER | Print\/Online | Sacramento Observer | Jared Childress |\u00a0The 8 Limbs of the Black Yogi\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

WINNER | Broadcast | KTSF | Christino Choi | Three features on Chinese-owned San Francisco small businesses Canton Bazaar, Nam Kue Chinese School, and YC Wong Kung Fu Studio<\/p>\n

RUNNER-UP | Print\/Online | Saigon Nho News | Doan Trang | The story of a boat person who opened a successful medical school in America<\/p>\n

Making It in California<\/strong><\/p>\n

WINNER | Print\/Online | India Currents | Ritu Marwah |\u00a0Undocumented And Abandoned. The Story Of The Punjabi Farmworker<\/a><\/p>\n

RUNNER-UP | Print\/Online | Kiosko News | Nora Estrada |\u00a0She is 70 years old and makes a living selling nopales on the street \u2026 And she is doing very well!<\/a><\/p>\n

Health and Health Care<\/strong><\/p>\n

WINNER | Print\/Online | Vida En El Valle \/ The Fresno Bee | Maria G. Ortiz-Briones |\u00a0Doctors from Mexico help meet the needs of some patients in the Central Valley<\/a><\/p>\n

RUNNER-UP | Print\/Online | Los Angeles Blade | Christopher Kane |\u00a0New data shows HIV infections dropped \u2013 mostly among whites<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0The new mission to fight HIV devastation in rural America<\/a><\/p>\n

The Rise in Hate Crimes and Efforts to Find Healing<\/strong><\/p>\n

WINNER | Print\/Online | ChicoSol | Natalie Hanson |\u00a0Activists turn from personal pain to community healing<\/a><\/p>\n

WINNER | Broadcast | EST Media \/ Eastern Standard Times | Keshia Hannam, Ryan Alexander Holmes |\u00a0Monterey Park: How Do We Heal Our Community?<\/a><\/p>\n

RUNNER-UP | Broadcast | World Journal \u2013 Los Angeles | Jian Zhao | Reporting series of the 2023 Monterey Park mass shooting<\/p>\n

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Media attendees, community leaders and government decisionmakers at the 2024 Ethnic Media Awards banquet. (Photo credit: Selen Ozturk)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Struggle for Rights in California<\/strong><\/p>\n

WINNER | Print\/Online | The San Fernando Valley Sun \/ El Sol | Semantha Raquel Norris:\u00a0Right-Wing Protestors Prevent Drag Queen Storytime at San Fernando Public Library<\/a><\/p>\n

WINNER | Broadcast | Little Saigon TV | Kayla Nguyen, Ngoc Lan, Jenny Vo: LGBTQIA+ Rights Against Vietnamese Americans<\/p>\n

RUNNER-UP | Print\/Online | Al Enteshar Newspaper | Dahlia M. Taha, Fatmeh Bakhit |\u00a0Breaking the Chains of Fear: Empowering Muslim and Arab Americans to Speak Up and Report Hate Crimes<\/a><\/p>\n

Coming of Age in a Polarized Society\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

WINNER | Print\/Online | Sing Tao Daily | Justin Ma | For One Adoptee, Xi-Biden Meeting at APEC is \u2018Personal\u2019<\/p>\n

WINNER | Print\/Online | The Contra Costa Pulse | Ronvel Sharper |\u00a0The Internet Brings Out the Worst In Us<\/a><\/p>\n

RUNNER-UP | Print\/Online | Black Catholic Messenger | Nate Tinner-Williams |\u00a0How one Black Catholic fought racism at her Catholic high school\u2014and what\u2019s next in her journey<\/a><\/p>\n

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Speaking at the 2024 Ethnic Media Awards,\u00a0#EMawards24<\/a>,\u00a0#California<\/a>\u00a0#StateTreasurer<\/a>\u00a0@fionama<\/a>\u00a0talks about the many programs and resources the state offers, and notes that connecting with\u00a0#ethnicmedia<\/a>\u00a0is key to helping communities access these resources.\u00a0pic.twitter.com\/xXH63dJrpq<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Ethnic Media Services (@EthnicMediaSvc)\u00a0August 28, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Politics and Public Policy that Foster Change<\/strong><\/p>\n

WINNER | Print\/Online | Korea Daily | Inseong Choi, Hyoungjae Kim, Suah Jang |\u00a0Six months after state of emergency, homelessness persists in Koreatown, not concentrated but scattered<\/a><\/p>\n

WINNER | Print\/Online | Black Voice News | Breanna Reeves | Reporting series\u00a0California\u2019s Marijuana Reform: Progress Made, But Challenges Persist for Black Communities<\/a><\/p>\n

RUNNER-UP | Print\/Online | palabra | Aitana Vargas |\u00a0Disrupting the School-to-Prison Pipeline<\/a><\/p>\n

Connecting Global With Local News<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Natalie Hanson accepts a winning award for an online article she wrote for Chico Sol about anti-hate crime activists transforming their personal experiences of pain into community-based programs for support and healing. (Photo credit: Selen Ozturk)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

WINNER | Print\/Online | Community Media Alliance | Eduardo Stanley |\u00a0The \u201cOther\u201d Incarcerated Japanese<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Kidnapping of the Naganuma Family in Peru<\/a><\/p>\n

WINNER | Print\/Online | Indian Voices \/ Indigenous Network | Veronica Wood |\u00a0Between The Rains: A Documentary About the Climate Crisis in Kenya for Indigenous Peoples<\/a><\/p>\n

Special Awardees<\/strong><\/p>\n

Career Achievement | Viji Sundaram<\/p>\n

Media Innovator | Manuel Ortiz Esc\u00e1mez<\/p>\n

Conveners of Community | Nichi Bei News, Inland Valley News<\/p>\n

Collaborating Across Racial and Ethnic Divides | Philippine News Today, Myanmar Gazette, Community Alliance Newspaper, Asian American News, Impulso News, El Popular<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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