AAJAHandbookFront 7/14/00 7:19 PM Page 2 in cooperation with south asian journalists SAJA association with generous support from Copyright 2000, Asian American Journalists Association. For additional copies of the Handbook or rights and reprint information, please contact us at: AAJA, 1182 Market Street, Suite 320, San Francisco, CA 94102; (415) 346-2051. [email protected] http://www.aaja.org/ We gratefully acknowledge the generous support of Knight-Ridder, Inc. in funding this project. AAJAfinalhandbook2 7/14/00 7:18 PM Page 1 ALL-AMERICAN: How to Cover Asian America AAJAfinalhandbook2 7/14/00 7:18 PM Page 2 Acknowledgments Without his deft touch and countless hours at the comput- er, it would have never been completed. The Asian American Journalists Association was AAJA also thanks Sreenath Sreenivasan of Columbia founded in 1981 by a group of Los Angeles–based profes- University and the South Asian Journalists Association, sionals with three distinct, but intersecting, goals: our brothers and sisters in the good fight, and Jeff Yang and his staff at aMedia, who copyedited and produced this •To recruit and train a new generation of Asian volume, particularly lead Handbook designer Setiaputra Americans in journalism, Lukas. •To promote fair and accurate coverage of Asians in We also thank Ken Moritsugu of Knight-Ridder America and highlight the community’s diversity, and Newspapers’ Washington Bureau, who initiated this project •To prepare Asian American journalists for leadership and when he was president of AAJA’s New York chapter; the management roles in the country’s newsrooms. energetic members of AAJA-New York, our largest chap- ter and hosts for the 2000 convention; Jon Funabiki of This revised handbook continues AAJA’s legacy of lead- the Ford Foundation, whose wise counsel is priceless; and ership in the journalism industry and the Asian American Francisco Mattos, our designer in San Francisco, who community. Much of our work involves shedding light on created the Handbook's cover. America’s invisible minorities. As chroniclers of history, we Finally, a special note of appreciation to Reginald bear responsibility for making sure stories about our com- Stuart of Knight-Ridder, Inc. for his generous financial munity are told fairly and with context, without any trace support and helpful words of encouragement to all our of racism, bias or stereotypes. members. AAJA constantly strives to serve our 1,700 members and the journalism industry by providing high quality profes- Catalina Camia sional programs and publications. Through this book, we AAJA National President 2 hope to help our fellow reporters and editors practice good 1999-2000 3 journalism about one of the fastest growing—but least understood—groups in America. We hope you find it an indispensable guide. On behalf of AAJA, I’d like to thank Anthony Ramirez of The New York Times for his time and commitment to this project. The handbook bears Tony’s unmistakable wit and vast knowledge of the Asian American community. AAJAfinalhandbook2 7/14/00 7:18 PM Page 4 Table of Contents INTERNMENT 21 INTERNMENT ISLAM 22 ISLAM Introduction ISSEI ISSEI INTRODUCTION 8 How to Read This Book MANDARIN MANDARIN How t MANONG 23 MANONG CHAPTER 1 11 ALL-AMERICAN MINORITY MINORITY Glossary: From AMERICAN MUMBAI MUMBAI “All-American” ANGEL ISLAND NISEI NISEI to “Yellow Peril.” ASIAN AMERICAN ORIENTAL ORIENTAL ALL-AMERICAN 12 ASIAN EXCLUSION ACTS PACIFIC ISLANDER 24 PACIFIC ISLANDER AMERICAN ASIAN GANGS PAKI PAKI ANGEL ISLAND ASIATIC PILIPINO PILIPINO/FILIPINO ASIAN AMERICAN BINDI PROVERBS PINOY/PINAY ASIN EXCLUSION ACTS 13 BOMBAY RACIAL SLURS PROVERBS ASIAN GANGS CANTONESE SAMURAI RACIAL SLURS ASIATIC CASTE SYSTEM SANSEI 25 SAMURAI BINDI 14 CAUCASIAN SARI SANSEI BOMBAY CHAN, CHARLIE SOUTH ASIAN DIASPORA SARI CANTONESE CHINA DOLL TAGALOG 26 SOUTH ASIAN DIASPORA CASTE SYSTEM 15 CHINAMAN TIANANMEN SQUARE TAGALOG CAUCASIAN CHINESE LAUNDRIES UNTOUCHABLES TIANANMEN SQUARE CHAN, CHARLIE COMBAT TERMINOLOGY WALTER-MCCARRAN ACT UNTOUCHABLES CHINA DOLL COMMUNITY YELLOW PERIL WALTER-MCCARRAN ACT CHINAMAN 16 DESI 27 YELLOW PERIL CHINESE LAUNDRIES DRAGON LADY CHAPTER 2 COMBAT TERMINOLOGY ETHNICITY “And She Didn’t Even Get 28 BURMA COMMUNITY 17 EXECUTIVE ORDER 9066 the Name Right!”: 29 CAMBODIA DESI EXOTIC A Guide to Asian Names CHINA DRAGON LADY Tropic Treat BURMA HMONG ETHNICITY 18 FILIPINO/PILIPINO CAMBODIA INDONESIA EXECUTIVE ORDER 9066 FORTUNE COOKIE CHINA JAPAN 4 EXOTIC FU MANCHU KOREA 5 TROPIC TREAT 19 GANDHI 30 LAOS FILIPINO/PILIPINO HAJJ/HAJ MALAYSIA FORTUNE COOKIE HAPA PHILIPPINES FU MANCHU 20 HAWAIIAN THAILAND GANDHI HINDI VIETNAM HAJJ/HAJ HINDU, HINDUISM SOUTH ASIAN NAMES HAPA HMONG CHAPTER 3 HAWAIIAN 21 IMMIGRANT How Not to 32 “In Asia, there are no Asians.” HINDI INDOCHINESE Cover Asian America 33 The Eternal Foreigner: “Where are HINDU, HINDUISM INSCRUTABLE A. “In Asia, there are no Asians.” you from? No, I mean, originally?” HMONG 36 Asians are “The Model Minority” AAJAfinalhandbook2 7/14/00 7:18 PM Page 6 Or ”Honorary Whites”... Or ”Honorary Whites”... Test Patterns Test Patterns Or ”Honorary Whites”... 36 Or ”Honorary Whites”... 57 INDIA Test Patterns 37 Test Patterns INDONESIA Or From Nowhere in Particular... 38 Or From Nowhere in Particular... 58 JAPAN Bomb Lab Case Lacks Evidence 39 Bomb Lab Case Lacks Evidence 59 KASHMIR Or Invisible Or Invisible KOREA, SOUTH 40 Or ”Honorary Whites”... Editor’s Note: April 17, 1999 Editor’s Note: April 17, 1999 60 LAOS Test Patterns 61 MALAYSIA CHAPTER 4 42 Introduction Or ”Honorary Whites”... MONGOLIA The Hall of Shame 43 SO SORRY. WE’LL HIT THE Test Patterns 62 NEPAL SO SORRY. WE’LL HIT THE RIGHT TARGET NEXT TIME Or From Nowhere in PAKISTAN RIGHT TARGET NEXT TIME 44 IF THE CARMA IS RIGHT, Particular... 63 PHILIPPINES IF THE CARMA IS RIGHT, GAR- GARNETT COULD BE A BULL Bomb Lab Case Lacks 64 SINGAPORE NETT COULD BE A BULL 45 Cartoon by Sean Delonas Evidence SRI LANKA NOTE..................... 46 Cartoon by Sean Delonas Or Invisible 65 TAIWAN NOTE..................... Cartoon by Oliphant Editor’s Note: April 17, 66 THAILAND NOTE..................... 47 Cartoon by Oliphant 1999 TIBET NOTE..................... COUNTEREXAMPLES: 67 VIETNAM COUNTEREXAMPLES: DEPICT- DEPICTING ASIANS WITH 68 UNITED STATES of AMERICA ING ASIANS WITNOTE..................... OUT STEREOTYPE Footnotes 69 48 Cartoon by Tom Toles CHAPTER 5 SO SORRY. WE’LL HIT 70 Listing of An Asian Cultural Calendar 49 JANUARY THE RIGHT TARGET NEXT Asian Pacific Organizations Everything Other Than Lunar New FEBRUARY TIME Year, From Shogatsu to Pongal MARCH IF THE CARMA IS january APRIL RIGHT, GARNETT COULD february 50 MAY BE A BULL march JUNE NOTE..................... april JULY NOTE..................... may AUGUST NOTE... june 51 SEPTEMBER december OCTOBER 6 no fixed dates NOVEMBER 7 DECEMBER NO FIXED DATES CHAPTER 6 Asia and America: 52 Introduction A Field Guide 53 ASIA ASIA BANGLADESH 54 BHUTAN BURMA 55 CAMBODIA 56 CHINA AAJAfinalhandbook2 7/14/00 7:18 PM Page 8 INTRODUCTION Even as you read this, a journalist somewhere is reporting a “community reacts” story about an ethnic group she has How to Read This Book barely heard of and does not understand. If the days are gone, even in comic strips, when In 1989, the Asian American Journalists Association reporters were named Clark Kent and Lois Lane and their produced the first of this guide’s predecessors, Asian editor Perry White, then the transformation has been even Pacific Americans: A Handbook on How to Cover and more dramatic for Metropolis, whose complexion has Portray our Nation’s Fastest Growing Minority Group. In changed while the Daily Planet was not looking. 1991, a revised edition, with the same title, was produced. Left unchanged is deadline, a round-the-clock one now The first was 80 pages; the second more than 200. because of the Internet and 24-hour news television and Our goal here, as with our previous efforts, is to enhance radio. Three principles have guided us in this most recent coverage by showing ways to develop smarter and more incarnation of the handbook: accurate stories. In doing so, we also hope to keep what was helpful in previous editions while consigning much of Principle No. 1: Dig harder. what was cumbersome to the Internet, where the tables of Principle No. 2: Make no assumptions. Census data and the like can be searched and updated with Principle No. 3: Don’t give offense. greater ease. This slimmer volume, we hope, will find its way next to your Webster’s. “Dig harder” is the first rule of covering anything, In the interests of brevity, we have omitted items. You whether it is Wall Street, the cop shop, or the NBA. will find, for example, few references to North Korea Making the last possible telephone call leads to better sto- because there are far more South Koreans in the United ries. It’s Journalism 101. States than there are North Koreans, at least for now. There The second rule is the tricky one. Making no assumptions is relatively little discussion of Buddhism, which would take today helps avoid embarrassing corrections tomorrow. volumes to examine, and, at any rate, is only one of many Racial and ethnic stereotypes are assumptions. They miss 8 9 spiritual philosophies, including Christianity, embraced by the story. The word “stereotype” originally meant a print- Asian Americans. Should conditions warrant, the Web ver- ing plate cast from a mold. In journalism, a stereotype is sion of the handbook will reflect the most important new also a mold, an assumption, that, even at its most benign, changes. But the paper version of the handbook is designed as with the so-called “model minority,” is boring because it to have maximum shelf life. is unvarying. Whatever its form, the handbook has become even more In this guide we explore stereotypes but, with some necessary.