The Asian Media Initiative (AMI) at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism’s Center for Community Media (CCM) has received a new award from the Henry Luce Foundation to support Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community journalists in the run-up to the 2024 U.S. elections.
This grant from the Luce Foundation – awarded as we approach AAPI Heritage Month in May – recognizes the unique role that AAPI community news media play in engaging AAPI voters, who remain underrepresented in media and underserved in political campaigns. Through in-community support spaces, curated resources, and specialized training sessions, AMI will support AAPI community media journalists as they navigate discrimination and scarce resources while covering this year’s elections. The grant will also allow AMI to produce original research and host public events that highlight AAPI community media coverage during U.S. elections. This pilot project will build on AMI’s previous work to support and fortify in-language and community-based journalism for and by AAPI during critical news cycles.
“As we reflect on our history this AAPI Heritage Month, I’m reminded that AAPI media have always played a key role in keeping our communities safe during elections rife with inflammatory xenophobic rhetoric,” said AMI Director Kavitha Rajagopalan. “I’m so grateful for the chance to support our incredible community journalists as they support the rest of us – not only during this upcoming election but also in the futures we imagine for ourselves.”
Taking place amid deepening political polarization in the U.S. and Asia, rampant digital disinformation, and escalating Islamophobia, antisemitism, and Sinophobia, this election season poses unique challenges and opportunities for AAPI community news media. AAPI media journalists stand on the frontlines both as targets of and defenders against discrimination, disinformation, and equity barriers against AAPI communities. They are a powerful and widely underutilized mechanism for engaging AAPI voters.
The Center for Community Media at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism serves news organizations that provide essential local coverage for populations whose voices and issues are underrepresented in mainstream media. The Center serves as a hub of information, resources, and training aimed at increasing the sustainability of the local news media sector.
The Henry Luce Foundation seeks to deepen knowledge and understanding in pursuit of a more democratic and just world. Established in 1936 by Henry R. Luce, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Time, Inc., the Luce Foundation advances its mission by nurturing knowledge communities and institutions, fostering dialogue across divides, enriching public discourse, amplifying diverse voices, and investing in leadership development.
About the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY
The Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, founded in 2006, is a public graduate journalism school based in the heart of New York City. With affordable tuition and extensive scholarship support, it prepares students from diverse economic, racial, and cultural backgrounds to produce high-quality journalism. The school offers 16-month master’s degree programs: M.A. in Journalism, M.A. in Engagement Journalism, and M.A. in Journalism – Bilingual Program (English/Spanish). Through the school’s J+ division, which offers a suite of executive training programs, the J-School trains seasoned journalists to reimagine news business models, build news products, and step into leadership roles with an entrepreneurial mindset. The Newmark J-School is also home to four unique centers and initiatives: the Center for Community Media; McGraw Center for Business Journalism; the Journalism Protection Initiative; and the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism.
For any questions about the Asian Media Initiative, please contact Kavitha Rajagopalan: kavitha.rajagopalan@journalism.cuny.edu.