Sanjay Gupta to Keynote Asian American Journalists Association 2006 National Convention

Sanjay Gupta to Keynote Asian American Journalists Association 2006 National Convention

SAN FRANCISCO, May 22 /PRNewswire/ -- CNN's Sanjay Gupta will keynote the Asian American Journalists Association's 2006 National Convention, taking place June 21-24 at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel in Honolulu. Gupta will deliver his address during the June 23 gala scholarship and awards banquet.

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AAJA is celebrating its 25th anniversary as the nation's largest professional organization for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) journalists. Representing more than 2,000 members, AAJA promotes fair and accurate news coverage, develops managers in the media industry and encourages young people to consider journalism as a career.

"In addition to being one of the highest-profile Asian American journalists today, Dr. Gupta covered the health and medical angles of some of the biggest stories of this new century," said Esther Wu, a columnist with The Dallas Morning News and national president of AAJA. "Our convention attendees can look forward to an insightful and illuminating keynote from a remarkable physician and broadcaster."

As senior medical correspondent for the health and medical unit at CNN, Gupta plays an integral role in the network's medical coverage, including daily reports, a half-hour show called "Weekend House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta," and coverage of breaking medical news.

He also co-hosts "Accent Health" for Turner Private Networks, which provides medical segments for the syndicated version of "ER" on TNT, contributes health news stories to CNN.com and writes a column for TIME magazine.

A practicing neurosurgeon and an assistant professor of neurosurgery, Gupta joined CNN in 2001 and became part of the network team covering the Sept. 11 attacks in New York City. During the war in Iraq, Gupta reported as an embedded correspondent with the U.S. Navy's medical unit, the "Devil Docs."

CONVENTION PUBLIC EVENTS INCLUDE TOWN HALL ON NATIVE HAWAIIAN ISSUES AND FILM SCREENINGS

On June 22, the convention will host a public town hall on Native Hawaiian issues, including a history and the future of the sovereignty movement. Panelists will discuss the issue of Native Hawaiian sovereignty and what place the Akaka Bill holds in the larger debate.

The proposed Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2005 -- called the Akaka Bill after its chief sponsor, U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka -- creates a process that could lead to the reorganization of a Native Hawaiian governing entity.

Supporters believe the bill is necessary to stave off attacks on programs that give preferences to Hawaiians. Critics of the legislation believe it is race-based and have also raised issues related to federal government liability, military readiness, gaming, and civil and criminal jurisdiction. Others believe the measure does not go far enough in addressing America's role in the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy. The measure has been stymied for six years, in part because of concern by some lawmakers that it could lead to attempts by Hawai'i to secede from the Union.

The town hall will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Kaua'i and Maui Rooms of the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel. Speakers for the town hall include: Jon Osorio, chairman, University of Hawai'i at Manoa Center for Hawaiian Studies; Toni Lee, president of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs; Clyde Namuo, administrator of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs; Sandra Puanani Burgess of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii; and Poka Laenui, executive director of Hale Na'au Pono. There is no charge for this event.

The community is also invited to attend June 24 screenings of two critically acclaimed Asian American films from Noon to 3 p.m. in the Sheraton Waikiki's O'ahu and Waialua Rooms.

"The Slanted Screen," a one-hour documentary by Jeff Adachi, shows how Asian American men have been portrayed in film and television. "An Untold Triumph," a documentary narrated by actor Lou Diamond Phillips, tells the story of the more than 7,000 Filipino immigrants and sons of immigrants who demanded the right to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II, despite being classified as immigrant aliens during a time of strong anti-Asian sentiment.

CONVENTION PLENARIES EXPLORE THE FUTURE OF MAINSTREAM MEDIA AND ASIAN IMMIGRATION IN THE 21ST CENTURY

The convention's June 22 plenary explores the new world order for mainstream media. Audiences are bypassing newspapers and getting their news from the Web, PDAs and mobile phones. And financial pressures on media are stirring a climate of cutbacks and consolidation. Panelists will explore whether the industry is being redefined and what it means for journalism.

Hari Sreenivasan, anchor/correspondent for "ABC News Now," will moderate a panel to include: Paul Steiger, managing editor, The Wall Street Journal; Neil Budde, general manager and executive producer, Yahoo! News; and Ann Marie Lipinski, editor, Chicago Tribune and senior vice president of Tribune Company.

The June 23 plenary will cover immigration from Southeast Asia, China and South Asia, which has dramatically recast the American landscape in the last decade. Journalists specializing in race and immigration coverage, demographers and futurists will discuss the complexity and challenges of how to reflect this new diversity in news coverage and what we can expect from this unique and evolving landscape.

Kathy Corcoran, race and demographics writer with the San Jose Mercury News, will moderate a panel to include: David Early, editor, race and demographics team, San Jose Mercury News; Victor Merina, senior fellow, University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication, Institute for Justice and Journalism; Pueng Vongs, writer and editor, New America Media; and Sylvester Monroe, assistant managing editor, Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Additional convention sponsorships are still available and advertising is an effective way to reach the more than 1,200 attendees. Convention details are available at www.aaja.org. Registration is available by calling the AAJA national office at 415-346-2051. Onsite registration will also be available.

About AAJA

The Asian American Journalists Association is a non-profit professional and educational organization with more than 2,000 members today. 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 of Color, along with the Native American Journalists Association, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and National Association of Black Journalists. For more information, visit www.aaja.org.

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Source: Asian American Journalists Association

CONTACT: Janice Lee, Deputy Executive Director of Asian American
Journalists Association, +1-415-346-2051, or JaniceL@aaja.org

Web site: http://www.aaja.org/

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