In Memoriam: Sam Chu Lin,
Broadcast Pioneer

AAJA mourns the passing of Sam Chu Lin, one of the first Asian American network reporters in New York City and recognized by the Asian American community as among the first to lead the way for Asian American men to enter the field of broadcasting.

A former AAJA member, he worked tirelessly to raise the profile of Asian American men in television news and to fight racism against Asian Americans. As a reporter, news anchor, radio announcer, media consultant and freelance writer, he was fearless about exhibiting his views on such issues as the injustice of Asian Americans being regarded as foreign campaign fundraisers and spies.

His career included reporting for KRON-TV in San Francisco, CBS in New York, KOOL-TV in Phoenix and KTTV Fox 11 News in Los Angeles. He announced to the nation the fall of Saigon, interviewed presidents and world leaders, and covered the democracy movement in Tiananmen Square. He used his heritage as an educational tool and challenged the industry to move beyond stereotypes, in one instance convincing ABC's Nightline to do a program called "Asian American - When Your Neighbor Looks Like the Enemy." In recent years, he was also known nationally for his regular column in Asian Week newspaper.

"Sam was truly a remarkable man," said Esther Wu, AAJA national president. "His commitment and dedication to the Asian American community can be felt throughout his body of work. Sam opened the door for many Asian American journalists. We will all miss him."

A Celebration of the Life of Sam Chu Lin
Saturday, March 18, 2006, 12:30 PM
Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills - Old North Church
6300 Forest Lawn Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90068