New America Media Salutes 2009 National Ethnic Media Award Winners for Outstanding...

New America Media Salutes 2009 National Ethnic Media Award Winners for
Outstanding Print, Web and Broadcast Reporting

ATLANTA, May 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- New America Media (NAM), the
nation's largest association of ethnic media outlets, today announced winners
of its National Ethnic Media Awards honoring exceptional contributions to
journalism by members of the ethnic media.

More than 300 entrees were submitted for 17 reporting categories ranging from
In-Depth/Investigative Reporting to Blogging. Judges from universities,
mainstream media and community-based organizations selected the winners, who
will be honored at NAM's National Ethnic Media Expo & Awards on June 4-5 at
the Atlanta Hyatt Regency Hotel. The awards will be presented on June 4 at
6:00 p.m., an event that will be co-sponsored by NAM and the University of
Georgia Grady College of Journalism.

Sandip Roy, coordinator of the awards, said the entries came from a wide range
of ethnic media outlets -- from Polish newspapers in New York to Hmong
journals in Minneapolis to Spanish language television in Los Angeles.

"Our national awards are the grand finale to a series of regional awards
honoring outstanding journalism in Boston, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Los
Angeles and Washington, D.C.," said Mr. Roy. "These have been difficult times
for journalists and their media companies. It was gratifying to review print,
broadcast and Internet work that made tremendous contributions to ethnic
communities."

At the National Ethnic Media Expo & Awards convention, NAM will showcase the
winning entries as examples of the important role that the ethnic media plays
today in communities across the country. "Too many people are still unaware of
the ethnic media's reach into communities," Mr. Roy said. "Our Atlanta
convention will be a coming out party, one that gives the nation a better
appreciation of the quality and depth of the ethnic news media."

Among the journalists cited by the judges, Claudia Nunez of La Opinion in Los
Angeles won first place in an investigative category for a special report on
the masterminds of a group trafficking Mexican immigrants and keeping them in
virtual enslavement in California restaurants.

In Minneapolis/St. Paul, Phil Lee of the Korean Quarterly was incensed when
the Ladies Professional Golf Association announced new rules that would
require golfers to be fluent in English. He responded by writing a blistering
editorial, his first editorial ever, which won the award for Best Commentary.

The editors of Azizah magazine in Atlanta showed how going green was actually
also good Islam. From car-shares to recycling it was all about how to be good
regent or khalifah on earth as Allah had envisioned the role for humankind.

"The award entries clearly demonstrated the breadth of the ethnic media," said
Sandy Close, NAM's executive director. "The ethnic media is reporting on
stories that are making a difference in communities throughout the nation."
Ms. Close noted that NAM will be releasing a poll at the Expo in Atlanta
documenting that the ethnic media has been growing, while mainstream media has
struggled to keep readers.

(To schedule interviews, please contact Alicia Ingram, (404) 493-1724
ingramalicia@bellsouth.net or Michael K. Frisby (202) 625-4328
mike@frisbyassociates.com.)

Below is a complete list of the 2009 National Media Awards winners. They can
be viewed online at http://expo.newamericamedia.org/winners

Best In Depth /Investigative
Kai Ma "To Have and to Hold" KoreAm Journal
Runner Up: Chris King, "New Beginning" St Louis American
Hon Mention: Anish Majurndar, "Murder & Mourning in Baton Rouge" Little India

Best In Depth/Investigative (In-Language)
Claudia Nunez, "Twenty First Century Slaves" (a series) La Opinion
Runner Up: Weijiang Huang, "American Dream in Single Room Dwelling" Sing Tao
Daily, San Francisco
Hon Mention: Milagros Melendez, "I Want to Be With My Mom", El Tiempo Latino

International Affairs
Winner: Farkhunda Ali "Palestinians Remember Their Catastrophe" Muslim Link
Runner Up: Lou Ann Matossian "Institute of Turkish Studies Chair was Ousted
for Acknowledging Genocide," Armenian Reporter

International Affairs (In-Language)
Winner: Rong Xiaoqing "Dragon Children Return" Sing Tao Daily, New York
Runner Up: Thaer Abbas, "Civil War Looms in Lebanon," Aramica
Hon Mention: Yu Ting Zhou "Foreign Students: The Neglected Group," World
Journal, New York

Healthcare
Winner: Norma de la Vega "Diet, What Diet?" Enlace
Runner Up: Sunita Sohrabji "Postpartum Depression: South Asian Women Suffer in
Silence" India West

Arts, Sports & Entertainment
Almah LaVon Rice "The Rise of Street Literature" ColorLines
Runner Up: Emily Driscoll "Smashing Comeback" Little India
Hon Mention: Kai Ma "High Rollers" KoreAm Journal

Arts, Sports & Entertainment (In-Language)
Winner: Leslie Froelich "A Mixture of Languages" Mundo Hispanico
Runner Up: Boon Hon Choo "Off-Track Betting Stations" World Journal, New York

Commentary/ Editorial
Phil Lee "LPGA: Does This Stand For 'Lees, Parks Go Away?'" Korean Quarterly
Runner Up: Jerry Sullivan, "A Twice-Told Tale of Black, Brown & LAPD
Blue" Los Angeles Garment & Citizen

Commentary/Editorial (In-Language)
Alejandro Manrique, David Coates, Peter Siavelis, "Que Pasa Supports Barack
Obama's Candidacy," Que Pasa
Runner Up: Weihang Que Government Officials Accountability Is Only The
Beginning Of A Sound Quality Safety System" The China Press in Northern
California

Ethnic Elders
Winner: Toan Do "Sharks Are Targeting Servicemen, Elders, and Disabled
People," Viet Tribune
Runner up: Sue Yang "The Future That Maia Henderson Left Behind," The Korean
American Press

Photojournalism
Arindam Mukherjee "Beyond the Burkha" Audrey Magazine
Runner Up: J Emilio Flores "The Airplane of the Deported" La Opinion

Race and Inter Ethnic Relations
Julie Ha "Neighborhood Watch" KoreAm Journal
Runner Up: Gabriela Gonzalez "The Changing Face of Faith" La Prensa, San Diego
Hon Mention: Brian Concannon Jr. "Eating Dirt in Ireland and Haiti" Boston
Irish Reporter/Boston Haitian Reporter

Education
Winner: Erika Cebreros "Finishing School is a Complicated Job," El Mensajero
Runner Up: Wameng Moua "Are Hmong Schools Making the Grade?" Hmong Today

Environmental Issues
Winner: Azizah Kahera and Staff "Color Me Green" Azizah Magazine
Runner Up: Sunita Sohrabji "Green Rules Force Small Truckers Into the Red,"
India West

Best Reporting on a Community Issue (Radio)
Winner: Cindy Yip & Otis Fang "Teacher's Responsibilities vs Survival
Instincts" Sing Tao Radio
Runner Up: Alejandro Manrique, "Mass Exodus of Hispanics from North Carolina"
Que Pasa

Best Reporting on a Community Issue (TV)
Winner: Vicky Gutierrez "Farm Kids" KVEA Telemundo 52
Runner Up: Thuy Phan "Bone Marrow," Saigon Broadcasting Television Network
Hon Mention: Harry Liu, "DTV Transition" KTSF

Best Blogger on Ethnic Perspectives
Winner: The Sanctuary
Runner Up: Chris Rabb, Afro-Netizen
Contact:
Sandip Roy
sroy@newamericamedia.org
(415)503-4170

SOURCE New America Media

Sandip Roy of New America Media, +1-415-503-4170, sroy@newamericamedia.org