New map and database from CUNY spotlights AAPI media outlets
AAPI Media Map & Directory includes 653 outlets, 35 states and 54 languages (and counting)
The Asian American media ecosystem just got a major boost in visibility and discoverability.
The Asian Media Initiative at CUNY’s Center for Community Media just launched the AAPI Media Map & Directory, the first national interactive database highlighting more than 650 in-language and community-based news outlets serving Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities across the country.
This powerful research tool, published as an Airtable database and as an interactive map, shows the locations of print, digital, video, and audio outlets operating in 54 different languages. It reveals the breadth and diversity of AAPI media, which has long been overlooked and undervalued despite the rapid growth of the AAPI population in the United States.
“Our goal is to work with a broad coalition of allies and friends to build visibility, capacity, and sustainability for a robust AAPI media ecosystem that serves us all,” tweeted Kavitha Rajagopalan, director of the Asian Media Initiative.
The directory sheds light on the rich array of ethnic and community media outlets that have been critical resources for AAPI communities, especially during the pandemic and amid the recent rise in anti-Asian hate.
Some key features include:
A searchable database of outlet names, languages, locations, website links and more
Interactive visualizations showing the geographic spread of AAPI media across the country
Filters to explore outlet properties like language, platform, and frequency
Independently reviewed and verified entries checked against open-source and public record information
The goal of the map and directory, according to the Center for Community Media, is to bring visibility to the diversity and scope of the AAPI media ecosystem and to serve as “a powerful database and research tool for funders, advertisers, researchers, and journalists to better engage and understand AAPI communities.”
The directory and map are a welcome addition to some of the earlier research focused on documenting and showcasing ethnic, community, and diaspora media here in New Jersey. According to the directory, there are at least 29 outlets in New Jersey that are included in the AAPI media ecosystem.
The Center for Cooperative Media recently published a report, “The State of Ethnic and Community Media in New Jersey,” which found that roughly 25% of ethnic and community media in the state cover Asian American communities. We also found that the majority of ethnic media publications in New Jersey are in-language, meaning they publish or broadcast their coverage in a language other than English.
Most of the Korean, South Asian, Filipino, and Chinese news outlets serving NJ residents are located in or focus on Hudson, Middlesex, and Bergen counties:
News India Times, an English-language South Asian publication, is based in Jersey City — home to the highest concentration of Asian Indians in the Western Hemisphere.
Gujarat Darpan and broadcast channels ITV Gold and TV Asia serve South Asians in Middlesex County, which is known as “Little India,” because it has the country’s highest concentration of Asian Indians.
While Bangla Patrika and Urdu News have their offices in New York City, they largely serve Passaic and Essex counties. The NJ counties with the largest Pakistani populations include Middlesex, Hudson, and Bergen, and the municipality with the most Pakistani residents is Jersey City.
The Asian Journal and The Filipino Channel (TFC) are the largest print and broadcast outlets, respectively, that serve Filipino Americans. Most are based in Jersey City, where the Five Corners on Newark Avenue is dubbed as the “Little Manila.” Jersey City also has the second highest percentage of Filipino residents of any NJ town behind Bergenfield.
These outlets and the others identified in the AAPI Media Map & Directory serve AAPI communities in at least six languages: English, Chinese, Filipino, Hindi, Korean, and Urdu.
However, while the AAPI community is one of the fastest growing and most diverse in the United States, it remains underrepresented, misrepresented, and invisible in mainstream media. Moreover, the coverage of AAPI issues and perspectives is often limited, biased, or sensationalized, reinforcing stereotypes and erasing the complexity and diversity of the community.
Journalism as an industry also has a history of marginalizing, stereotyping, and silencing certain groups of people, especially those who are racialized, ethnicized, or otherwise minoritized. This includes the AAPI community, which is composed of diverse and dynamic populations with different histories, cultures, languages, and identities.
Ethnic and community media outlets are a crucial part of a healthy local news ecosystem. They provide accurate and relevant information for the AAPI communities, especially in times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes.
They also foster a sense of identity, belonging, and empowerment for the AAPI communities, who often face discrimination, stereotyping, and invisibility in the mainstream media. In addition to providing consistent reporting and news coverage, they are uniquely positioned to celebrate the contributions, history, and heritage of the AAPI communities. They also help to facilitate cross-cultural communication, understanding, and collaboration among the AAPI communities and other groups in society.
The new AAPI Map & Directory from CUNY has several implications and potential benefits for journalism:
Providing a comprehensive and accessible database of AAPI media outlets, which can be used by funders, advertisers, researchers, and journalists to better understand, engage, and support the AAPI media ecosystem.
Highlighting the diversity and scope of AAPI media outlets, which can challenge the homogenization and marginalization of the AAPI community in mainstream media, and showcase the richness and variety of AAPI cultures, languages, and identities.
Facilitating collaboration and communication among AAPI media outlets, which can enhance their capacity, sustainability, and impact, as well as foster solidarity and advocacy among AAPI communities.
Amplifying the voices and stories of AAPI communities, which can increase their visibility, representation, and participation in public discourse, as well as counter the stereotypes, discrimination, and violence that they face.
Ultimately, we at the Center believe the AAPI Media Map & Directory is an important and innovative resource that will help to further our shared goal of improving the equity and representation of AAPI communities in journalism.
Joe Amditis is the assistant director of products and events at the Center for Cooperative Media. Contact him at amditisj@montclair.edu or on Twitter at @jsamditis.
About the Center for Cooperative Media: The Center is a primarily grant-funded program of the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. Its mission is to grow and strengthen local journalism, and in doing so serve New Jersey residents. The Center is supported with operational and project funding from Montclair State University, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Democracy Fund, NJ Civic Information Consortium, Rita Allen Foundation, Inasmuch Foundation and the Independence Public Media Foundation. For more information, visit centerforcooperativemedia.org.