Ethnic media voices are critical to the national discourse, according to University of Michigan administrators at a university press conference. The June 12 convening was part of University of Michigan-Dearborn’s series on media diversity and social change, and the first ever to include a panel of ethnic media.

Journalists of a wide range of backgrounds on stage during an awards ceremony at an ethnic media conference in Atlanta on June 4. PHOTO: Khalil AlHajal/TAAN

The discussion was facilitated and co-organized by Bankole Thomson, senior editor of the Michigan Chronicle, and included Osama Siblani, publisher of The Arab American News, Elias Gutierrez, publisher of Latino Press, Arthur Horwitz, publisher of Detroit Jewish News and Tack-Young Kim, publisher of Michigan Korean Weekly.
The conference, titled “The Power of Ethnic Media: Has Obama Changed the Face of Ethnic Media?” was focused on the significance and future of this sector of American journalism.

Eric Bolling, director of the UM-D Multi-Cultural Affairs Office and assistant to Chancellor Daniel Little, explained that establishing the series was essential “for students of color to know that there are media out there to address issues more relevant to them than mainstream media.”

University administrators realized that minority students were not taking journalism classes, Bolling said.

“And it was because they just couldn’t relate.”

One of the core journalism classes was teaching a “mainstream media approach,” he said. After a student of color complained, he said, “we felt that we needed to start with a lecture series that would help incorporate diversity.”

Representatives of Arab American media pose together during the New America Media awards ceremony in Atlanta on June 4. From right: Suzanne Manneh, of New America Media in San Francisco, Amani Ghouleh, of The Arab Horizon newspaper in Chicago, Khalil AlHajal of The Arab American News and Antoine Faisal and Rachel Millard of Aramica newspaper in New York.

The forum came a week after a national ethnic media conference in Atlanta, where representatives from print, broadcast and online outlets from across the country convened, including The Arab American News, two other Arab American newspapers from New York and Chicago, and an Arab American radio program from Minneapolis.
Major Hispanic, Asian and African American outlets were represented alongside growing Haitian, Ethiopian and other ethnic community publications at the conference organized by the San Francisco-based association New America Media.

In an awards ceremony, articles covering the most pressing, often under-reported issues of ethnic communities throughout the country, were recognized, including a piece headlined “Palestinians Remember Their Catastrophe,” by Farkhunda Ali, of the Maryland-based Muslim Link newspaper, awarded best International Affairs article for 2008.

“This story will have to be told again and again,” Ali said as she accepted the award.

Results of a New America Media poll released at the event suggested that ethnic media have picked up 8 million new readers, viewers and listeners over the last four years.

“The thirst for relevant news and information has made many residents of ethnic communities turn to media outlets that do substantial reporting on their culture, issues and neighborhoods,” said New America Media executive director Sandy Close. “The increase in ethnic media audiences is incredible, considering the declines that many mainstream media outlets are confronting.”

For Bolling, America’s rapidly growing diverse communities make ethnic media all the more important.

“The population is changing, people of color are becoming the majority. For example, in Michigan, the Latino population, while relatively young, is growing. American society is becoming different. We need to provide information on diversity, provide opportunities for people to come together in roundtables, and give opportunities to ethnic media,” he said.

Kim, publisher of the Michigan Korean Weekly, agreed.

“Mainstream media can’t reach everyone,” Kim asserted. “In fact, many more people are coming to us (ethnic media) to get the message.”

Results of the New America Media poll showed that some 57 million Americans now get their news from ethnic media.

“That’s a big number,” said Kim. “It took 64 million votes to get Obama into the White House.”

Yet government and corporate advertisers still seem to be ignoring this growing sector, Kim said.

“The government isn’t getting their point across to ethnic communities. A small ad in an ethnic newspaper, in that community’s language, draws more attention,” he explained. “It’s important for customers to be spoken to in their own language.”

Siblani, publisher of The Arab American News, shared an example to illustrate this situation.

“A Wal-Mart opened in Dearborn a little over a year ago and is not advertising in The Arab American News, nor in many other ethnic community media,” he said.

“Many businesses are opening up in ethnic communities,” he said, “They don’t reach out to ethnic communities or advertise and then they close.”

Administrators of the University of Michigan at Dearborn hope this will be the first of many meetings with ethnic media. For their part, media representatives were pleased that they could finally engage in the conversation.

“We’ve made a very good step in the right direction, but we really need to have more of this to keep our communities involved,” said Siblani.

Khalil AlHajal contributed to this report.