SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - July 6, 2010) - The Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) today announced the 42 high school students selected from across the country for J Camp, a six-day program that brings together a multicultural group to sharpen their journalism skills and develop media awareness. J Camp will be held July 30-August 4 at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, just prior to the national convention of AAJA. This will be the tenth year anniversary of the program.
Students are selected from a competitive application process in which academic achievement and journalism talent are among the strongest considerations. The students selected are listed at: http://www.aaja.org/programs/for_students/journalism_trainings/j_camp/J_Camp_2010_Students_Select.pdf
"J Camp inspires talented students to enter journalism, and we in turn are inspired by them. Now more than ever, the journalism industry needs new energy and innovative thinking to serve and reflect our diverse community of today and tomorrow," said Sharon Chan, AAJA National President. "This is a signature program for AAJA. We're proud to wish J Camp a happy 10th birthday."
Since the first J Camp in 2001, there have been a total of 377 of the nation's brightest young people who have graduated. An alumni survey funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation in 2008 showed that young people still see journalism and media-related jobs as a viable option, with a top reason being "to positively change the world." Recent works by alumni are at http://jcampalum.wordpress.com/
Angie Lau, anchor at Bloomberg's Chicago Bureau and J Camp co-director, said, "As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of J Camp, we are reminded of how far we've come. We are proud to have one of the most diverse and strongest pool of J Campers this year. They follow the path of those J Campers who came before them; young journalists just beginning to make their mark."
J Camp strives to help assure excellence in the profession for decades to come by confronting the lack of diversity in journalism, not just in race, but also in matters of religious background, political background and other factors. With a diverse team, readers and viewers get different views on city governments, human interest stories, entertainment and recreation, science and medicine, and national and international news. The curriculum consists of interactive workshops, hands-on training, and field trips. Journalistic leaders representing CNN, the Los Angeles Times, PBS, and the Associated Press, among other national news organizations, will be speaking at this year's camp. This year's program will be taught by some of the industry's best journalists which include: Chris Macias, Food and Wine Writer, The Sacramento Bee; Caridad Hernandez, Executive Producer, CNN; Mark Angeles, Bureau Chief, Newark Star-Ledger; Richard Lui, Anchor, CNN Headline News; and Athima Chansanchai, Founder/President, Tima Media.
J Camp co-director Clea Benson, senior writer at CQ Weekly, Congressional Quarterly's weekly magazine in Washington, D.C., said, "We have a fantastic class of the best high-school journalists in the nation for our tenth anniversary J Camp, and we can't wait to inspire them to enter our rewarding and challenging profession."
J Camp 2010 is made possible through a grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Additional support is provided by Loyola Marymount University, Dow Jones Newspaper Fund, Dow Jones Foundation, Bloomberg, The Los Angeles Lakers Youth Foundation, The McClatchy Company, Jennifer 8. Lee, CNN, General Motors, AAJA Sacramento Chapter, individual donors and parents of alumni.
"J Camp gives students the confidence to test out their own professional aspirations in a rich and supportive learning environment," said Patrick T. McCarthy, president and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which provides funding for the program. "We are especially pleased to be part of the 10th anniversary of J Camp because we believe strongly in giving young people a voice, increasing their opportunities for future leadership, and making a strong connection to their communities."
The Asian American Journalists Association is a non-profit professional and educational organization with more than 1,000 members across the United States and in Asia. 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.