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Welcome to the 1997 AAJA Seattle news archive.
Lam Trades KING for Boeing Lam Trades KING for Boeing
Congratulations Ng, Chen, Woo, Yu
Congratulations to Christine Chen, who has been promoted to weekday anchor of "The Ten O'Clock News" on UPN 11. She previously reported and anchored the weekend edition of Channel 11's news. Congratulations to Linda Woo of the South County Journal. She received the second place award in educational writing from the Washington State School Director's Association. Several honors for Judy Yu of AsiaNet Marketing. She was appointed to the board of Central Washington University by Governor Locke. Yu is also the new Board President of the Denise Louie Education Center, a multi-cultural child care, head start and ECEAP center which will soon be housed in the new I.D. Village Square.
AAJA, SPJ Hold Joint Holiday Party
Kiyomura, Tu New Co-Presidents As AAJA Elects New Board
Cathy was president and a long-time active member of the Portland AAJA chapter, before moving to
Seattle. Janet has been membership co-chair of Seattle’s AAJA, recruiting members and taking an active
role in organizing events. Cathy and Janet will take over in January from Paula Bock (The Seattle Times)
and Susan Han (KCTS-TV), who have served as co-presidents for the past two years.
For the first time, the Seattle chapter will also have two vice-presidents. E.J. Gong
(Starwave/ABCNews.com) and Steven Mark (The Seattle Times) will be joining the board.
Rita Wong (Eastside Journal) will continue as treasurer and Lori Matsukawa (KING-TV) will continue as
secretary. Robert Mak (KING-TV) returns to the national board.
Bock, Han Delivered More AAJA Events
As Paula and Susan pass the baton, they can look back at a tremendous two years guiding the Seattle
chapter. Among their many accomplishments:
* Revamping the NJC scholarship program. Award winners now get more than a simple stipend.
They’re now paired with a mentor and participate in quarterly field trips to learn about their communities.
The program’s selection process was also restructured.
* Photographer Showcase. For the first time, AAJA turned the spotlight on members behind the camera.
The extremely successful program featured still and video photographers.
* Regular monthly Won-Ton Tuesday gatherings.
Many thanks to Susan and Paula for all their work. Paula will continue working with the scholarship
program and Susan will be our representative participating in programming for the Chicago national
convention.
First NJC Field Trip a Success
Northwest Journalists of Color members and fellowship winners went on our first field trip
on Oct. 4. The trip followed a reception for the fellows at KING TV in Seattle. This was the first
of four field trips which are part of the fellowship program. The fellows each have a mentor for
the school year. Also attending were fellowship funders.
The fellows each represent a different minority journalism association. Carol Yorleny
Gilmore, a freshman at Seattle Central Community College, is the Latino Media Association
fellow. Felicia M. Ischino, a junior from the University of Washington, represents the Black
Journalists Association of Seattle, Kari Thorene, a senior from Western Washington University,
represents the Asian American Journalists Association. Aleesha Towns, a sophomore at Western,
is the Native American Journalists Association fellow.
We first stopped at the Wat Khemarak Pothiram, the Cambodian Buddhist temple in White
Center.
Our next stop was the Khmer Community Center, where outside of temple walls, members of
Seattle’s Cambodian community told us about their concerns and problems. The center arranged a panel,
including Ngy Hul, the community center president; Ly Sieng Ngo, who put together a post-traumatic
stress disorder support group for Cambodian war survivors; Titony Dith, the son of photojournalist Dith
Pran; Darin Chee, vice president of the United Development group whose goal is to rebuild Cambodia;
and Metrey Keo, a Univeristy of Washington student who works with youth and on domestic violence
issues within the Cambodian community. All panel members told harrowing stories of escape from war-
torn Cambodia, including Dith’s escape only one week before the capital fell. Sieng said the experiences
of some Cambodians prior to coming to America resulted in post-traumatic stress disorders similar to
those of Holocaust survivors.
The last stop for the fellows was the Wing Luke Asian Museum in Seattle’s International
District. Susan Han of KCTS TV and Khanh Cao Tuyet, a board member of Asian Counseling and
Referral Service, greeted us with even more food! We had a chance to relax for a few minutes and look at
the exhibits of Asian immigration and settlement in the Pacific Northwest. Khanh volunteers to work
with Asian immigrants who want to become U.S. citizens.
The 1997-98 NJC Fellowship winners are:
Carol Yorleny Gilmore is a freshman at Seattle Central Community
College. She graduated from Bainbridge High School in June where she was a
Girls State delegate and a participant in United Brothers and Sisters.
A native of Costa Rica, Carol and two brothers were adopted when
she was four. She plans to study in her native Costa Rica later this year.
She hopes, through journalism, to openly discuss the problems that impact
Latino men and women.
Carol is interested in print journalism. She hopes that whatever
she achieves with her writing will benefit not only herself, but also,
others in the Latino community.
Felicia M. Ishino, a junior at University of Washington, is
majoring in communications with a submajor in English and anthropology.
Felicia is of Black and Japanese ancestry and hopes to use her
journalism career as an opportunity to dispel what she feels have been
harmful clichs and stereotypes that have hurt both the African-American
and Asian-American communities. Her long term goal is to pursue a career
in journalism as a writer, reporter and/or photojournalist.
She is currently on the staff of The Daily at the University of
Washington and has contributed news and feature articles for the past two
years. She is also a past participant in the Seattle Times Urban
Newspaper Workshop.
Kari Thorene, a senior at Western Washington University, is
studying journalism, Japanese and political science with a focus on
Asian-American and women's issues.
"Journalism is way too ethnically homogeneous," she wrote in her
essay. "This issue is very complex; it includes the need for more minority
professors in our journalism programs, more minority bylines and faces in
our broadcast and print media and more minorities on our editorial
boards...Real diversity means more than just minorities. It means making
sure we don't create new stereotypes as we progress."
Kari was the news editor of the Western Front at WWU and has won
journalism scholarships as well as state competitions in debate and
impromptu speaking. This year she is attending University of Oregon as
part of the National Student Exchange Program. Her long term goal is to
write for print media and to pursue a Ph.D in journalism so she can teach
at university level.
Aleesha Towns, a sophomore at Western Washington University,
studies journalism and Japanese. As a freshman last year, she was a
prolific writer for her college newspaper, and before that, she served as
news editor of her high school's award-winning newspaper in Renton.
Aleesha has been involved with the Native American Student Union
and American Red Cross. She represented Seattle as a Seafair Ambassador
shortly after the earthquake in Kobe Japan. She has also volunteered for
the Sierra Club and on several environmental projects. Her ethnic heritage
as a member of the Pilot Point Village Tribe and her interest in the
environment have helped Aleesha appreciate the complexity of Native
American issues.
"I have suddenly found myself torn between the environmental
ethics I hold and the knowledge that my extended family could use the
money," generated by drift net fishing, she wrote in her essay. "I think
this torn feeling could arise in my journalism career if I cover Native
American issues. Hypothetically, it could influence my voice in writing,
but I'm confident I will be able to make an ethical decision."
Special thanks to the sponsors of this year's scholarship program.
ELP Program Stops by Seattle
Sponsored by The Freedom Forum, the ELP is designed to assist participants in assessing their
individual performance qualities so that they may become leaders and executive-track achievers in their
own newsrooms.
Applicants must have a minimum of five years professional experience and have company support,
with strong leadership skills. This sessions’ faculty included Ronald B. Brown, J.D. Hokoyama, Glenn
Kawafuchi and Audrey Yamagata-Noji....all persons of color who help participants understand how
cultural values, leadership styles and risk-taking are part of becoming strong leaders.
Other speakers included: Caesar Andrews, Editor, Gannett News Service; Andrew Barnes, Editor, St.
Petersburg Times; Gail Evans, Exec. Vice Pres. CNN; Gregory Favre, Sr. Vice Pres. McClatchy
Newspapers; Donald Graham, Publisher, Washington Post; Alex MacLeod, Managing Editor, Seattle
Times; Jeannie Park, Asst. Managing Editor, Entertainment Weekly; Joseph Saitta, Vice Pres. Fox
Broadcasting; Catherine Shen, Vice Pres. Horvitz Newspapers; and H. Martin Haag, Sr. Vice Pres. A.H.
Belo Corp.
AAJAers Follow Governor to China
The crew included Rod, Dave Wike KING TV photog, Rachel Zimmerman, PI; David
Postman, Times; and Al Gibbs, News Tribune.
Memorable moments? Rod absolutely loved having “congee” (thick porridge) for breakfast. He said it
was just like eating at Grandma’s. We all had a workout trying to carry gear and keep up with the Governor on
the Great Wall. Rod was one of the few (besides the State Patrol officer) who made it to the “end.” Lori
passed out for 30-seconds and decided to just do stand-ups until the Gov came back down!
Rod and Dave were the only non-Chinese photogs allowed in to photograph President Jiang Zemin’s
meeting with the Governor. They used their skills as sports photographers to plant their feet and bodies to
keep the Chinese guys from pushing them out of their positions. We all agreed that visiting First
Lady Mona Lee Locke’s dad’s home in Shanghai was pretty moving. It was the first time Larry Lee had seen the house in 50 years!
Vancouver Student Wins Award
One of the student winners was Misha McCool, a graduate of Evergreen High School in Vancouver, Wash.,
who received a $2,000 AAJA-Newhouse Newspapers award. An intern of The
Columbian and staff reporter of her high school newspaper, the
Plainsmen's Press, McCool received her high school's newspaper award of
excellence, the "Plainsmen's Pulitzer." McCool will pursue her journalism
studies at Clark College in Vancouver, Wash.
Wedding Bells for Eng, Crisostomo
MacLeod Wins Diversity Award
On the Move: Chan, Numata & Carlson
Chan is a veteran member of the Asian American Journalists Association,
having founded its Washington, D.C. chapter in
1985 and served as national vice president for print, 1986-91. She is a
frequent speaker and participant at industry events
with a focus on writing, management and diversity and a former fellow of
the Maynard Institute's Management Training
Center at Northwestern University. She is a graduate of University of
Illinois with a B.A. in Communications.
Seattle AAJA also welcomes Mae Numata is the Times' CFO. Mae comes to the Times after serve as a VP at Keybank. Congratulations to Karen Carlson who landed a job at KOMO-TV as a morning business reporter. Karen had worked at KOMO and the State Department of Trade and Economic Development as an intern.
Congratulations to Chen, Shen & Park
A promotion for Catherine Shen, who is now Vice President of News and New Media for Horvitz Newspapers. Horvitz owns, among others, the Eastside Journal and South County Journal. In her new position, Catherine will also serve as publisher of three weekly newspapers, the Mercer Island Reporter, the Northshore Citizen and the Snoqualmie Valley Reporter.
Congratulations to Clayton Park, the new executive editor of King County Journal Newspapers and business editor of the Eastside Journal. Clayton is former editor of the Eastside Business Journal and reporter for the Puget Sound Business Journal.
Land Trades KOMO for Imagio
Boston National Board Meeting Report
At the closing dinner, there were three tables filled with people from the Northwest. Despite the long trip across the country, 30 of our members took the time to attend this year’s national convention.
On the big screen, Elisa Hahn (KING-TV) announced the national awards winners--a competition organized by our chapter with the help of Lily Eng (The Seattle Times) and Cynthia Land (KOMO Radio). At the head table, sat former AAJA member Mona Lee, watching as Lori Matsukawa (KING-TV) introduced one of the night’s keynote speakers, Washington Governor Gary Locke. Also at the podium, was AAJA national treasurer Mark Watanabe (The Seattle Times), who spoke briefly before performing his duties at the silent auction. And the night ended with Alex MacLeod (The Seattle Times) accepting the national diversity leadership award.
If you were unable to join us, anyone who went can surely tell you about the workshops, the panels, the job fair, the student projects and the social gatherings that everyone enjoyed. A record 840 people attended this year’s convention.
Of course, it was also a time to take care of some AAJA business, and here’s a quick update on some of the major actions taken by the national board:
Future Convention Sites: The board has now selected sites for AAJA conventions through the year 2001. After Chicago in 1998, Seattle will host the UNITY convention in 1999. The convention will then travel to the east coast and New York City for the 2000 gathering. And on the 20th year of AAJA in the year 2001, the convention will be held in San Francisco.
Chicago Convention Duties: AAJA Seattle will participate in the programming of the 1998 national convention. A chapter representative will work with others on the programming committee to organize next year’s workshops.
The Strategic Plan: After months of work, the board has approved a three-year strategic plan. The 12-page document sets forth goals to expand the influence of AAJA, while continuing to serve professional and student members.
Accrediting Council: The board approved spending $5,000 in dues and expenses each year for a seat on the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. The council evaluates journalism schools and departments across the country. The board felt the cost was justified, giving AAJA an opportunity to influence the status of diversity in schools.
Convention Fee Increase: Registration rates will be raised across the board by $15 next year. The increased revenue will pay for a convention planner, who will assist the Chicago chapter. The board has tried for several years to provide for such a position, in hopes that this will allow the executive director to spend more time fundraising.
National Internship Program: Progress is being made on a national internship program that would give students a grant for non-paid internships.
Arizona Provisional Status: After one year on probation, the new Arizona chapter will continue on a provisional status for yet another year. Turnover of Arizona chapter members raised concerns among the national board about the chapter’s stability.
Just before the gala reception, the Seattle chapter met in the lounge of the Legal Seafood restaurant. The pre-dinner gathering has become somewhat of a tradition for the chapter at each convention.
This year, our gathering attracted many people who technically are no longer part our chapter. One person worked in Ohio, another in New York and a couple others were working in California. All of them were at one time, members of the Seattle chapter and still feel a bond to the Northwest. In fact, I heard several times that the comradeship of our chapter is unique and indeed, our chapter continues to grow because we are such a strong, cohesive group.
With 24 months left before the UNITY convention comes to Seattle, that’s a good thing.
Robert Mak
Seattle Shines at Boston Convention
The clambake and lobster feed ran short of food, but not fellowship. The Job Fair was abuzz and despite all the activities and late nights, our fine officers Paula Bock and Susan Han, Rita Wong and Robert Mak attended every National Board Meeting! Next year: Chicago. Then UNITY in Seattle July 7-11, 1999. Lori Matsukawa
Spring Time Honors
Congratulations to Camilla McClelland, the new Editor in Chief of the Northwest Nikkei/North American Post. Camilla was a reporter at The Olympia, and made the move this spring.
Congratulations to Leyla Kokmen (The Seattle Times) who won a 1996 “Best in Business” award for best spot news awarded by the Society of American Business Editors and Writers. She and her colleagues were recognized for stories on Boeing’s announcement in December that it was buying McDonnell Douglas.
Congratulations to Nicky Loi, a student member from Western Washington University. The Western Front online website won the Excellence in Non-Daily Website award from the Society of Professional Journalists, Student Division. Nicky is the on-line editor.
Welcome New AAJA Members
1997 Annual Summer Picnic a Success
AAJA Seattle Puts Spotlight on Photographers
Among the participants: Barry Wong (The Seattle Times), Teresa Tamura (The Seattle Times), Lui Kit Wong (The News Tribune), Rick Wong (Asian-American community photographer), Randy Eng (KING-TV), Fred Joe (The News Tribune), Dean Wong (Freelance photographer), Irene Kuniyuki (Freelance photographer and media artist), Tom Matsuzawa (KIRO-TV), Anthony Bolante (Eastside Journal).
Special thanks to Anthony Bolante, Karen Carlson, Janet Tu and REI for use of its community facility.
Congratulations Acohido; Welcome Chen, Liu
AAJA Seattle welcomes Katy Chen, an editor at KIRO/KNWX and Eric Liu, commentator at MSNBC.
Large Turnout to Welcome Year of the Ox
AAJA Family Keeps Growing
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You can find Christine Lam in her new position as communications specialist for public relations at the Boeing company. Lam previously worked in the KING-5 News library and is a former Miss. Chinatown.
