Welcome to AAJA Defined
where we make visible the storytellers behind the news.
You see them on TV, hear them on the radio and in your podcast apps, you see their names on bylines, and maybe you follow them on Twitter.
Or if they’re behind-the-scenes, you might not see them at all, even though they’re producing, editing, and shaping the stories that construct our understanding of the world today.
And if you’re a member of the Asian American Journalists Association, you might be one of us, looking for a place to debrief and share the ways you do and define meaningful work.
AAJA Defined showcases AAPI media professionals (and allies), whom we affectionately call the #AAJAFamily, redefining journalism in inclusive, expansive, and visionary ways. We feature the young, up-and-coming luminaries, the journalists who have pioneered innovations in a rapidly evolving industry, and industry trailblazers and elders who lead in thought and by example. We’ll ask about the work they do, how they do it, their life paths and lived experiences, and simply, who they are, in their full humanity, like a friend you’re catching up with over a quick hot beverage.
With bite-sized glimpses into their lives and work, we hope these stories connect the dots of Asian Pacific America, showing the depth and breadth of the community members who are shaping narratives about AAPIs in media and journalism.
This is just the ambitious beginning led by a small but mighty AAJA communications team (literally “#dream-team” in Slack) who have wanted to create this homecoming space for AAJA since our earliest days of existence.
In these beginning days, through member profiles, we’re introducing #AAJAFamily to anyone curious about AAPI identity or journalism, to the journalists who admire the work of their peers, and to the industry elders who keep their fingers on the pulse.
Then, we’ll deepen and facilitate dialogue that unpacks the stories we want to tell, the questions that motivate us, and the values that we struggle with — and that ultimately unite us.
Eventually, we’ll be your hub on how to navigate the industry as a young AAPI, the source of conversations with leaders, advocates, and other folks you should know who activate our community, and a library of the editorial and style decisions behind stories that have sparked conversations.
AAJA Defined is more accurately, AAJA Defining, as we keep evolving who we are, where we come from and where we’re going. Come for the conversations, stay for the food for thought.
