After its pilot in 2020, AAJA is proud to relaunch AAJA Studio, our AAPI speakers bureau that brings the perspectives and expertise of AAPIs to the forefront of newsrooms, storytelling and representation. As AAPI Heritage Month comes to a close, we urge newsrooms to continue the important work of increasing diversity and inclusion year-round and for the long term.
AAJA Studio is composed of journalists and subject matter experts who have been influential in their career journeys. From pioneering AAPI media leaders, to established policy experts and academics, to connected community leaders, AAJA Studio convenes a range of AAPI perspectives to enrich and diversify news and storytelling.
“AAJA strives to be at the forefront of AAPI representation in journalism, and we are proud to uplift our expert storytellers and members featured in our revamped AAJA Studio,” said AAJA executive director Naomi Tacuyan Underwood. “We hope newsrooms take the initiative to use this resource to find the experts and sources they need. With this relaunch, there’s no excuse for not including AAPI voices in reporting and narratives.”
AAPIs are now the fastest growing demographic in the United States and represent over 30 different countries and speak over 100 languages and dialects. In this latest edition of AAJA Studio, we’re sharing a more diverse range of voices in our roster, including more Pacific Islander, Southeast Asian and South Asian voices. Experts on the following topics can be found through AAJA Studio:
- Asia & International Relations
- Asian American & Pacific Islander Studies
- Civil Rights & Voting Rights
- Courts, Constitution & Justice
- Diversity & Inclusion
- Economy, Business & Jobs
- Entertainment
- Environment
- Government
- Health, Wellbeing & Family Care
- Housing
- Immigration
- National Security & Cybersecurity
- Politics & Elections
- Public Health & Medicine
- Race & Gender
- Society & Culture
- Sports
- Technology
- Travel
As a mission-driven organization, AAJA strives to advance diversity in newsrooms and ensure fair and accurate news coverage of communities of color. This effort aligns with many of our strategic priorities, including helping journalists and newsrooms break down long-standing barriers for journalists and communities of color and increase representation of AAPI perspectives in reporting and storytelling.
“We hope that AAJA Studio will be a space for AAPIs and AAJA to strengthen our voice and impact in the national dialogue about issues that matter to the AAPI community,” said AAJA president Michelle Ye Hee Lee. “Through AAJA Studio, AAJA aspires to carve out that larger space for our voices to be represented in the mainstream, and make it clear that we are here.”
AAJA thanks Ford Foundation, Democracy Fund, Doris Duke Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Nielsen and Yahoo for their early and pioneering support of AAJA Studio. For more about AAJA’s programs, visit www.aaja.org/programs-and-initiatives. Check out AAJA studio at aajastudio.org.
