April 17, 2025
Newsletter

Tens of thousands of protestors from throughout the country convened on the National Mall to rally against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Organizers of the protest said more than 1,300 "Hands Off" rallies around the world took place that day. (Photo: Kaiden Yu)

ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS

• AAJA signed onto the Society of Professional Journalists’ joint statement reaffirming the role of press in democracy 
• 📰 How scholars are sounding the alarm on loyalty politics
• *Deadline approaching* Don't miss the chance to apply to AAJA's scholarships! Most opportunities this round have a Wednesday, April 30 deadline
• 📓 Explore this AP-NORC/AAPI Data poll on immigration and the AAPI community

From AAJA-HQ: AAJA signs onto SPJ's statement, congratulations to AAJA-Sports Task Force’s new president

Statement AAJA, along with 50 other journalism and media organizations, signed onto the Society of Professional Journalists’ joint statement reaffirming the vital role of ethical reporting in a functioning democracy. The statement also calls upon government officials to respect the role of a free press.

Scholarships Are you looking for help with internships, leadership development, or tuition support? AAJA has several funding opportunities to support your journey! Check each individual opportunity for its deadline.

• Stanford Chen Internship Grants⁠
• Vincent Chin Memorial Scholarship⁠
• Sam Chu Lin Internship Grant⁠
• William Woo Print and Online News Internship Grant
• Dinah Eng Leadership Fellowship
• ⁠Jimmie & Suey Fong Yee Grants
• ⁠IJA-AAJA Pacific Islander Journalism Scholarship

#AAJA25 Convention registration is open! Don't wait – get your discounted early bird rate now. 

• Sponsorship Join us in Seattle! Check out our prospectus to learn about sponsorship and partnership opportunities, and contact sponsorship@aaja.org to get involved.
• Room block To accommodate and prioritize registrants, our room block is accessible via the confirmation process following #AAJA25 registration. Space is limited, so register for #AAJA25 today!
• Chapter stipends
  • *Deadline approaching* AAJA-Philadephia: Fill out this form by Tuesday, April 22.
  • AAJA-New York: Fill out this form by Friday, May 9.
  • AAJA-Florida: Log into your account and look for the “#AAJA25” tab on the far right.
  • AAJA-Los Angeles: Fill out this form by Friday, May 9.

Affinity groups Congratulations to Michele Steele, AAJA-Sports Task Force’s new president!

Resources AAJA provides resources to journalists affected by recent layoffs. Some of our resources include consideration for waived membership fees and our career center that allows journalists to find job postings and connect with recruiters. Read the full statement here.

🗓 AAJA Events

Visit our events calendar on AAJA's website for more chapter events.

April 18 | AAJA-New England's Book Event | Join AAJA-New England to celebrate the launch of "Intersections: A Journalistic History of Asian Pacific America" at Pagu from 4-6:30 p.m. ET.

April 21 | AAJA’s George Washington University Student Group Panel | Join AAJA's George Washington University Student Group for a panel about the future of diversity in coverage and newsrooms at George Washington University from 6:30-8:30 p.m. ET.

April 27 | AAJA-Los Angeles’ Cooking Class | Join AAJA-Los Angeles for an Ayurveda cooking class with Nandita Godbole from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. PT.

May 3 | AAJA-D.C.'s Picnic | Join AAJA-D.C. for their picnic on the National Mall from 2-4 p.m. ET.

May 14 | AAJA-Portland’s Book Event | Join AAJA-Portland to celebrate the launch of "Intersections: A Journalistic History of Asian Pacific America" at Portland State University from 6-8 p.m. PT.

On Our List 🌟📺📸📰🎧

• "At least 6 injured after Florida State University shooting; shelter in place issued" with contributions from Janice Kai Chen, The Washington Post
• "Chinese warehouses are persuading Americans to buy China-made dupes to offset tariff costs" by Angela Yang and Brian Cheung, NBC News
• "US toy store owner says costs will skyrocket due to China tariffs" by Selina Wang, ABC News
• "Nationwide 'Hands Off!' protests erupt against Trump and Musk" by Juliana Kim, NPR
• "80 Asian American & legal groups argue for birthright citizenship" by Randall Yip, ELP '95, AsAmNews
• "Political scientists find submission to Trump ‘shocking,’ says UW prof" by Naomi Ishisaka, AAJA-Seattle president, The Seattle Times
• “Pilots Discussed Alternate Ways to Land Before Deadly Jeju Air Crash” by Grace Moon and Selam Gebrekidan, The New York Times
• "Can Trump revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status? What to know about the law." by Praveena Somasundaram, VOICES '21, The Washington Post
• 📺 “Amanda Nguyen becomes 1st Vietnamese woman to fly to space: 'This journey really is about healing'” by Monisha Ravisetti, Space.com 
• "Buried histories: Historic Chinese memorial is not forgotten" by Will Schick, ELP '23, AsAmNews
• “South Korea's Yoon removed from office over martial law, election looms” by Joyce Lee and Ju-min Park, Reuters
• “To tell her own story, this acclaimed novelist turned to ChatGPT” by Meena Venkataramanan, The Washington Post

👏 AAJA Kudos to...

• MJ Lee, who was named CNN’s senior national enterprise correspondent.
• Sonal Shah, who is transitioning out of The Texas Tribune at the end of year.
• Kelyn Soong, AAJA-D.C.’s Vice President of Engagement, who joined Georgetown University as a content specialist in their College of Arts and Sciences.
• Amna Subhan, who started a new position as digital content coordinator for the U.S. Soccer Federation.
• Joon Lee, who started an independent sports journalism YouTube channel.
• Sanvi Bangalore, who will be joining Insurance Insider US as a reporter.
• Brady Wakayama, Deedee Sun, Isaac Ryu, Kyle Iboshi, Rachel Boyoung Kim, Steven Tonthat, and Stella Sun, who were nominated for the 2025 Northwest Regional Emmy Awards.

AAJA Opportunities:

• AAJA’s 2025 Scholarships | Apply to our 2025 scholarship, fellowship, and grant opportunities by Wednesday, April 30.
• IJA / AAJA Pacific Islander Scholarship | Apply to our joint scholarship with the Indigenous Journalists Association by Saturday, May 31.
• Futures Fund | Donate to AAJA’s Futures Fund, an endowment campaign that will ensure that AAJA can pursue its mission as long as necessary.

Fellowships and Trainings

• The Temasek Foundation–AAJA Asia Southeast Asia Editors Network | This program will explore cooperation avenues through roundtables, workshops and conference sessions and participants will have the opportunity to pitch collaborative cross-border stories in front of a jury composed of senior news professionals. | Deadline: Thursday, April 24.

External and Partner Opportunities:

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