Minnesota winners at National Ethnic Media Awards

Korean Quarterly and Hmong Today, two of our community media partners, won awards in the National Ethnic Media Awards competition. New America Media (NAM), the nation’s largest association of ethnic media outlets, announced winners of its National Ethnic Media Awards honoring exceptional contributions to journalism by members of the ethnic media. The awards ceremony will take place June 4 in Atlanta, in an event co-sponsored by NAM and the University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism.

Phil Lee of the Korean Quarterly was incensed when the Ladies Professional Golf Association announced new rules that would require golfers to be fluent in English. He responded by writing a blistering editorial, LPGA– Does this stand for “Lees and Parks Go Away?” This was Lee’s first editorial ever, and it won the NAM award for Best Commentary.

Wameng Moua of Hmong Today was the runner-up in the education category with ” Are Hmong Schools Making the Grade?

The Twin Cities Media Alliance, together with NAM, held the first Minnesota Ethnic and Community Media Awards in November 2008. Winners are listed here.

Sandip Roy, coordinator of the awards, said the entries came from a wide range of ethnic media outlets – from Polish newspapers in New York to Hmong journals in Minneapolis to Spanish language television in Los Angeles.

“Our national awards are the grand finale to a series of regional awards honoring outstanding journalism in Boston, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington D.C.,” said Mr. Roy. “These have been difficult times for journalists and their media companies. It was gratifying to review print, broadcast and Internet work that made tremendous contributions to ethnic communities.”