April 30, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO — The Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) will be rolling out 31 profiles of our members in May, which is designated as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Throughout May, learn more about selected members from our 1,400-member organization in the following categories:

• Pioneers (journalism trailblazers)
• Emerging leaders (people making an impact on the industry early in their careers)
• Movers and shakers (journalism leaders with at least 10 years’ experience)
• Fresh faces (college students and other up-and-comers)

AAJA is partnering with the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education to present these daily profiles to a broad audience.

In addition to featuring notable AAJA members during Heritage Month, AAJA plans a series of BlogTalkRadio Q&A sessions highlighting topics of interest to the journalism community.

The BTR series will be on Mondays:

• May 7 (2 p.m. Eastern/11 a.m. Pacific): “Standing Out in a Crowded Field of Job Candidates” — Brooke Camp of CNN and Lars Schmidt of NPR will offer expert advice on what grabs recruiters’ attention. They will talk with the Asian American Journalists Association about how to keep your skills and portfolio fresh after layoffs/buyouts, and they will discuss how to make your next move.
• May 14 (11 p.m. Eastern/8 p.m. Pacific): “Getting a Book Deal, Then Marketing Yourself” — Journalist-cookbook author Anupy Singla and mystery writer Ed Lin will provide tips on how to become a successful self-promoter once you have your publishing contract. Topics will include ways to get a publishing house to see the value of your proposal as well as whether you need an agent.
• May 21: “Diversity for the Worldwide Leader in Sports” — ESPN Senior Vice President Rob King will be on the line to offer his perspective as a top-level manager for a worldwide company — how diversity among athletes is being reflected in the newsroom, and how sports journalism is evolving in the 24/7 news cycle.
• May 28: Guest(s) and topic TBD.

For the full schedule of AAJA’s upcoming BTR sessions (and to find previous programs), go to blogtalkradio.com/aaja.

Join AAJA every day in May to learn more about our organization’s outstanding journalists and to broaden your knowledge of the journalism industry.

The Asian American Journalists Association is a nonprofit professional and educational organization with more than 1,400 members across the United States and in Asia. Founded in 1981, AAJA has been at the forefront of change in the journalism industry. AAJA’s mission is to encourage Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) to enter the ranks of journalism, to work for fair and accurate coverage of AAPIs, and to increase the number of AAPI journalists and news managers in the industry. AAJA is an alliance partner in UNITY Journalists, along with the Native American Journalists Association, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association. For more information about AAJA, visit www.aaja.org.