Want to come to the AAJA Detroit Convention but need financial support?

Through the generous support of the Ford Foundation, the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) is pleased to announce the Professional Training Fellowship & Chapter Initiative.

Dear AAJA Photographers,

Want to come to the AAJA National Convention but need some financial support?

Deadline June 10.

Here’s your answer:

Through the generous support of the Ford Foundation, the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) is pleased to announce the Professional Training Fellowship & Chapter Initiative. With the continued decline in overall representation by journalists of color in America’s newsrooms and the changing industry, the cultural sensitivity, insights and skills of Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) journalists stand to be lost. This initiative will award 2 fellowships to members from each chapter and at-large members, who are journalists currently unemployed, to get digital journalism, managerial and entrepreneurial training in order to thrive in today’s shifting media market.

Fellowship winners will attend the state-of-the-art training available at the 22nd Annual National Convention from August 10-13 in Detroit, MI. The fellowship will cover convention costs which include: convention registration, airfare, and hotel accommodations. Restrictions will apply. Fellows selected are required to blog their experiences for the AAJA website and share training information learned from the convention with their chapters. In addition, all winners must commit to at least two hours of chapter volunteer work as determined by the chapter.

Eligibility Requirements Applicants must meet ALL the following requirements:

  • AAJA member for the current year*
  • Affiliated with of one of the 21 AAJA Chapters or a member at-large
  • Committed to AAJA’s mission
  • A journalist currently unemployed

*subject to verification.

How to apply
Eligible applicants must submit the following:

Basic Information
(1) Full Name, (2) Chapter Affiliation, (3) Ethnicity/Race and (4) News Media (newspaper, magazine, television, radio, etc)
Written Essay (500 to 750 words)

Based on your newsroom experience as an AAPI journalist, how would your participation at convention enhance or further the intended objective of this fellowship, and how would you share your experience and knowledge with your chapter (Please be concise and specific as possible).

Where to send information (Received-By Deadline: June 10)

  • Email (preferred): AntonioS@aaja.org Subject Header: AAJA Chapter Initiative
  • Fax: (415) 346-6343 Attention: Antonio Salas
  • Mail: AAJA Chapter Initiative, 5 Third Street, Suite 94103, San Francisco, CA 94103

All selected fellows will be notified by email and posted on AAJA’s main page under headliners by June 15th. The AAJA national office will work with each winner to confirm hotel and convention registrations. Fellows will be required to book their own flight or train arrangements to the convention, the national office will provide you with restrictions. A receipt will need to be forwarded to the national office to receive a reimbursement on your travel.

The Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization with more than 1,400 members/volunteers in 21 chapters across the U.S. and Asia. AAJA’s mission is to provide a means of association and support among Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) journalists, to provide encouragement, information, advice and scholarship assistance to AAPI students who aspire to professional journalism careers, to provide to the AAPI community an awareness of news media and an understanding of how to gain fair access and research and point out when news media organizations stray from accuracy and fairness in the coverage of AAPIs.

For questions, please contact Membership and Chapter Development Manager Antonio Salas at AntonioS@aaja.org or (415) 346-2051 x105.

More info,
Paul Sakuma
psakuma@aol.com