We use cookies to ensure you get the best browsing experience. By continued use, you agree to our privacy policy and accept our use of such cookies. For further information, click FIND OUT MORE.
Make this your preferred source to get more updates from this publisher on Google.
Filipino-Americans are standing out at the ongoing 22nd annual convention of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) in Detroit, Michigan. At least three Filipino-American journalists are panelists in different workshops of the AAJA, which is marking its 30th anniversary this year. Rene Astudillo, executive director of the Lupus Foundation of Northern California, is in the panel of “Fighting to Protect Immigrant Rights." Maria Hechanova, morning reporter of WLNS-TV in Yuma (Arizona), is a panelist in “Surviving Small Markets." Emil Guillermo, an award-winning journalist and TV/radio host/commentator, is a panelist in “Authors’ Showcase: In Conversation with Grace Lee Boggs." Astudillo is AAJA’s National Treasurer and was AAJA’s executive director from 1999 to 2008. Hechanova worked her way up from producer/reporter and co-chairs the Asian American Small Market Broadcast Journalists, a group dedicated to supporting AAJA members who are just starting their careers. Guillermo wrote one of the most widely read opinion columns on Asian Americans in the US. He was the first Asian American to regularly host a national news radio program on NPR’s “All Things Considered" from 1989-1991. On the other hand, Filipino-American journalists attending the event included:
Curtis Lee Jay, news anchor of “Action News" of NBC in Kansas City, Missouri;
Justin Mendoza, TV news reporter/video journalist/producer; and
Joseph Lariosa, correspondent for Journal Group Link International and AAJA Chicago Chapter member. Filipino-American journalists covering the event include former Manila Bulletin provincial editor Antonio Antonio, now editor of Fil Star Michigan, and Bobby Reyes of Mabuhay Radio of Los Angeles, California. Another Filipino-American attending is Michigan active community leader, Willie Dichavez. Alienation During the panel discussion, Hechanova said working in a small market station is tough as she felt alienated from her relatives when her job application was accepted. “You have to face two-step battle as you transition to your new job. First, losing people and finding that second job," said Hechanova, whose parents are from Iloilo in the Philippines. She said it took two years to prepare her taped resume and taking live shots. She also kept an open mind to criticisms. Two years into her job, she developed anxiety as she made plans to jump into a “bigger" market. Her anxiety becomes acute as she gained the “the people’s trust and you create from them their respect." But she became emotional when her mother called her a week after she got the new job, telling her that her father was very sick. Her father died last July 22. But what cheers her up in Yuma is a group Filipino Americans, who always invite her to their event where they serve her favorite Filipino delicacies. She likened a career to a marathon, where one develops skills while on the job. But she said she is still keeping her options open if she wants to pick up her dream anchor job. — with Joseph Lariosa/JE, GMA News
GMA Brandtalk
Tracking
Archives
