PANEL OF JOURNALISTS TO DISCUSS NIKKEI NEWSPAPERS' FUTURE ON APRIL 2

The Japanese American National Museum is partnering with four publications to present "From Newsprint to New Media: The Evolving Role of Nikkei Newspapers", a public program about the changing situation of Japanese American vernaculars on Saturday, April 2, 2011 at 2 p.m. in the Tateuchi Democracy Forum. Presented as part of the National Museum’s Discover Nikkei series, the program will celebrate the history, discuss the current state, and ponder the future of Nikkei community newspapers in America.

The original Nikkei community newspapers were Japanese publications that served an important role as the glue that held together the Issei immigrants with local information about their communities as well as the latest news from Japan. Later, their function in the community expanded as they served the English-speaking Nisei and Sansei generations. But in recent years, the media industry has been in an upheaval, and many Nikkei community newspapers have shut down.

The recent earthquakes and tsunami in Japan and the resulting crisis has highlighted the role that the community’s media still plays in disseminating information to Nikkei living in America. With the future of Japanese American newspapers in doubt, a discussion of how mass communication might evolve is a timely topic.

"From Newsprint to New Media: The Evolving Role of Nikkei Newspapers" will feature moderator Gil Asakawa who will present a brief presentation on the historic roles of Nikkei community newspapers, followed by a panel discussion with Gwen Muranaka of The Rafu Shimpo; Kenji G. Taguma of Nichi Bei Foundation / Nichi Bei Weekly, Shigeharu Higashi of the Cultural News, and George Johnston of Nikkei Nation. There will be a Q&A following the panel to engage other journalists and community members in the dialogue. The program will be followed by a light reception where participants will have an opportunity to further connect and share.

Gil Asakawa writes about pop culture and politics from an Asian American and Japanese American perspective on his blog, www.nikkeiview.com. He and his partner also co-founded www.visualizAsian.com, where they conduct live interviews with notable Asian American Pacific Islanders. He is the author of Being Japanese American (Stone Bridge Press, 2004) and served as the Pacific Citizen’s editorial board chair for seven years as a JACL national board member.

Gwen Muranaka is the English section editor for The Rafu Shimpo, the nation’s largest bilingual Japanese American newspaper. Kenji G. Taguma is the president of the Nichi Bei Foundation and editor-in-chief for the Nichi Bei Weekly. Shigeharu Higashi is the publisher and editor of the Cultural News, an English language monthly publication and website reporting on Japanese cultural traditions and events in Southern California. George Johnston is a journalist and the publisher of NikkeiNation.net, an online-only news source.

This program is presented by the Japanese American National Museum with The Rafu Shimpo, Nichi Bei Foundation, Cultural News, and Nikkei Nation. The program will be videotaped for sharing online afterwards. Related articles and other content are available on DiscoverNikkei.org. Additional related content will be added later.

A slideshow of images will be shown 15 minutes prior to the program from the Japanese American National Museum’s extensive Rafu Shimpo/Toyo Miyatake collection, which will present an incredible look at our community’s past.

This program is free to Japanese American National Museum members or with museum admission. Reservations are recommended to rsvp@janm.org or 213.625.0414 at least 48 hours prior to the event. Include the name, date, and time of the program, as well as your name and the total in your party.

For updated information, visit DiscoverNikkei.org/events/2965.