CCM’s Asian Media Initiative (AMI) has created the first-ever map and directory documenting the scope and scale of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community media.
AMI Director Kavitha Rajagopalan said: “We see this directory and map as a way of illustrating how important these outlets are to the AAPI lived experience as immigrant and Indigenous communities, combating isolation and discrimination for the fastest growing demographic in the U.S.”
Comprising 653 outlets in 35 states and Washington, D.C., four Pacific Islands, and three international locations, the AAPI Media Directory and accompanying map feature outlets serving AAPI communities locally, nationally, and even in global diasporas.
The outlets are both traditional and digital media, and in 54 languages. From the total 228 municipalities large and small, AAPI media serve 58 U.S. metropolitan areas. Home to two of the oldest outlets in the directory, California also boasts the largest number of AAPI-serving outlets at 213. In the lighter shades on the map, New York follows with 109 outlets and Washington state with 46. Together, these three states account for 56% of the outlets in the directory. Meanwhile, 11 states have an outlet count in the double digits while 15 states have no outlets serving AAPI audiences, as of 2023.
However, despite the rapid decline of local news sources across the country, the directory also contains 482 news outlets that specifically serve their local and hyperlocal AAPI communities.
“Our hope is that the map, directory, and forthcoming report will shed light on an AAPI media ecosystem that is often ignored and misunderstood by those in the mainstream media landscape,” Rajagopalan said, adding that these outlets are often most crucial in election years as a means of educating new voters from immigrant communities.
Every entry in the directory has been independently reviewed and verified against open-source and public record information. Rajagopalan noted that this project is intended to constantly evolve as new media outlets launch or more established outlets expand to various platforms.
If you’d like to directly verify details about your outlet, correct any information in the directory, or add your outlet, please fill out the AAPI Media Directory Verification Form.
The team involved in creating the map and directory also represent the diversity of AAPI communities and included: CCM’s Research and Development Associate Jennifer Cheng, CCM’s Director of Communications Jehangir Khattak who served as an advisor, and researchers Basil Rodriguez and Selina Ho.
The AAPI Media Directory and Map was made possible with the generous support of The Democracy Fund and The Ford Foundation.
You can read more about the research project here.