the death of ethnic press
by montague hungA look at the predicament facing ethnic news as they combat the internet and slumping revenues
Ethnic newspapers today are at risk of becoming extinct due to a combination of the rise of the internet and even more importantly, the severe economic recession. Ethnic newspapers are dearly important to the Asian American community for a myriad of reasons. When ethnic newspapers report on issues important to the ethnic community, they are first and foremost enabling their readers to stay connected to their roots. Immigrants also need ethnic newspapers in order to help ease their transition to life in America.
The internet has revolutionized the way that people receive news by allowing them to access millions of news articles from various sources with a simple click of a mouse. Many people are switching media formats because the internet version of the news is so much more convenient: it’s free, easily browsed and searched, and best of all, no inky fingers. With the number of paper subscribers decreasing, the Newspaper Association of America estimates that advertising revenue for the newspaper industry in 2008 is expected to decline 11.5% to $40.1 billion, with most of the lost ad revenue attributed mostly to the drop-off of print advertising.
However, the rise of the internet as a news source is second to the economy as the most pressing danger to ethnic newspapers. The recent economic turmoil has threatened to choke off the main source of revenue for ethnic newspapers: advertisements. Small ethnic newspapers tend to rely heavily on local business ads for revenue. However, recent economic hardships affecting businesses have in turn led to a decrease in the number of ads.
The KoreAm Journal, a monthly Korean-American magazine based in Southern California, recently published an open letter to readers asking for donations and stressing the need for new subscribers. Managing editor Michelle Woo comments on KoreAm’s one third decrease in advertising: “That’s huge. Ads account for 70% of revenue. What really jumped us into action was seeing some other ethnic publications fold suddenly.”
Other newspapers that have ads account for 100% of their revenue are hit even harder from the economic downturn. Vivian Truong Gia, publisher for the San-Jose based Viet Tribune, said, “It’s very hard at this time. The real estate section is totally gone from other newspapers. I still have eight pages for that section. Before, I had 20 pages.” Commenting on the effects of the ads reduction, Hoang Nguyen, editor in chief for the Viet Tribune, said, “The drop in advertising has forced the Viet Tribune to cut the length of its issue and have less articles from contributors.” If the economy’s downturn continues to discourage businesses from advertising, ethnic newspapers will have to cut their issues even more, if not totally close.
The possibility of losing ethnic newspapers is extremely detrimental to the Asian American population. Many Asian Americans who know limited English depend on these ethnic newspapers as their main source of information. A study done by New California Media finds that 75% of the Asian population in California receives Asian American media, with 34% of these Asian Americans preferring ethnic newspapers over mainstream newspapers. Ethnic newspapers allow Asian Americans to easily educate themselves on current events such as the latest political developments or health issues. Without ethnic newspapers, many Asian Americans will struggle to keep up with current events.
Even if the language barrier is breached, ethnic newspapers are necessary to document the Asian American experience in a way that today’s predominant newspapers cannot. Many of our concerns and interests are different from mainstream America. Barbara Straus Reed, professor of journalism at Rutgers University, says, “Some issues of real concern to immigrants are not reported at all.” With the growing homogenization of mainstream news, issues such as immigration, civil rights, economic opportunity, and cultural diversity are covered by ethnic newspapers in a way that mainstream newspapers do not: from the perspective of an ethnic minority. Ethnic newspapers magnify the implications of news to the ethnic community by giving them an outlet to articulate their opinions in solidarity and provide a unique viewpoint.
A new strategy is needed for ethnic newspapers to survive with the changing times. Yuru Chen, editor in chief of the Chinese newspaper World Journal, says, “ More and more Chinese readers are going online to get their news. Chinese media has to go online. We face the same challenges as mainstream media: How do we put content online; how do we profit from our online content; and how do we make sure this doesn't hurt our print circulation?” World Journal has succeeded so far in maintaining their publishing by putting news stories online but keeping analysis and features exclusive to print. The World Journal has also realized that more students are learning the Chinese language and this has led them to collaborate with U.C. Berkeley to have their articles used in the classroom.
However, going online will not solve all of the troubles ethnic newspapers face. Print editions of the news is essential because the correct layout allows readers to digest information more easily than if the same article was scripted online. Even if the layout is sacrificed for the internet, there still exists problems. For one, internet ad revenue is not as profitable as print ad revenue. The even bigger issue is once again, the economy. Hoang Nguyen laments, “There is no solution to the bad economy. We can’t force businesses to give us more advertising. We have to try to survive the recession and hope times get better.” Nguyen’s sentiments are shared by many in the Asian American community who feel that ethnic newspapers let Asian Americans stay informed and connected to their culture. It is imperative for businesses to start advertising more in order to save the ethnic press.
The truth is that Asian Americans are a minority in the U.S. Losing ethnic newspapers would mean losing empowerment in the Asian American community and losing part of our voice. Ethnic newspapers have provided service to their community with a sense of loyalty and responsibility that comes only with a sense of shared background. Losing ethnic print media would have an incredible impact on Asian Americans and it is a cause that is noble of fighting for. Many ethnic newspapers are free of charge and it is worth it to send donations to help keep them afloat. People who read the online versions of ethnic newspapers could also start subscribing to the paper edition. Besides the enhanced experience that print media gives, Asian Americans simply cannot afford to see such a crucial source of their power die out.