For Immediate Release:
August 3, 2004
Contact:
Keith Kamisugi (for AAJA)
(415) 876-0589, keith@keithpr.com
SAN FRANCISCO – The Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) expresses shock over a Vice President Dick Cheney campaign worker's demand to know the race of an Asian American newspaper photographer covering a rally Saturday in Arizona.
"It's unbelievable. What does race have to do with it?" said Mae Cheng, president of the Asian American Journalists Association. "We find it unconscionable that a journalist could be called into question over her race or ethnicity."
Mamta Popat was covering a political event in Tucson, Ariz., as a staff photographer for The Arizona Daily Star. She is of Indian descent. A campaign worker for Cheney called the Star's office the day before the event asking for her name, date of birth, social security and race as part of a background check.
The paper refused to answer the question on race. AAJA national officers said the demand bordered on racial profiling.
"Mamta's race is not relevant, and to ask for it sends a message that certain races represent security risks and are not to be trusted. That is wrong," said Abe Kwok, AAJA vice president for print.
Kwok said he is also troubled at published reports that the inquiry of race was made of some journalists and not others. AAJA, which represents more than 2,200 reporters, photographers, editors and media executives of Asian descent, calls for the practice to end immediately.
About AAJA
The Asian American Journalists Association is a national, non-profit educational association based in San Francisco that has more than 2,100 members. It was founded to encourage young Asian Pacific Americans to enter the ranks of journalism, to work for fair and accurate coverage of Asian Pacific Americans, to increase the number of Asian Pacific Americans and news managers in the industry.