Joint Statement Denouncing Anti-Asian Racism During Coronavirus Outbreak – National Association of Hispanic Journalists

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 19, 2020

AAJA Issues Joint Statement Denouncing Anti-Asian Racism During Coronavirus Outbreak

Washington, D.C. – From the Board of Directors of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA), with the support of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), Journalism and Women Symposium (JAWS), National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), Native American Journalists Association (NAJA), and NLGJA: The Asociation of LGBTQ Journalists:

The Asian American Journalists Association, along with our fellow diversity associations, denounces the escalating violence and rhetoric aimed at Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, including journalists, amid the coronavirus outbreak.

In February, AAJA issued guidance urging news outlets to refrain from images and language that fuel xenophobia and racism. We are heartened to see comprehensive and thoughtful coverage from many news outlets, and are grateful for the hard-working journalists covering the outbreak and its impact on all communities.

But harmful language persists, including repeated use of “China coronavirus” or “Chinese coronavirus” despite guidance by the World Health Organization discouraging the use of geographic locations when naming illnesses because it could stigmatize populations associated with those places.

In this time of heightening tensions and fears, it is more important than ever that the media collectively gets it right so that we don’t give others, including politicians and the general public, an excuse to get it wrong. We also fully support and encourage journalists to continue to be vigilant in reporting the growing anti-Asian sentiment tied to the outbreak along with the rhetoric.

As always, we stand ready to be a resource to our members, fellow journalists, partners, and the public.

Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA)
National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ)
Journalism and Women Symposium (JAWS)
National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ)
Native American Journalists Association (NAJA)
NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists

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About the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ)

The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) is the largest organization of Latino journalists in the United States and dedicated to the recognition and professional advancement of Hispanics in the news industry. The mission of NAHJ is to increase the number of Latinos in the newsrooms and to work toward fair and accurate representation of Latinos in the news media. Established in April 1984, NAHJ created a national voice and unified vision for all Hispanic journalists. NAHJ has approximately 2,500 members, including working journalists, journalism students, other media-related professionals, and journalism educators. For more information please visit NAHJ.org or follow on Twitter @NAHJ.

Media Contact:
BA Snyder
Veritas Group for NAHJ
512.630.6337
BA@VeritasAustin.com

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