I can't make the Ethnic Communities and the Media forum this Wednesday, but all you real media people should turn up and say: 'yeah, I know what ethnic people want from the media, I read Yellow Peril - it's all about more hot Asian guys, right?'
I dare you.
Anyhow, real media people, if you don't go my Embedded Asian Underground and Rice-Roots spies will tell me.
Ethnic Communities and the Media forum: a belonging initiative
Wednesday 12 October, 9 am - 4 pm
Council Chambers, Auckland Town Hall
Featuring such luminaries as Paul Spoonley (natch), Jeremy Rees - for 'the media' - and Lincoln Tan - for 'the community'. Or maybe for 'the media'. He hasn't decided yet. I would have had the same problem if I'd been able to attend.
See, so if you should be there but don't turn up, you'll either be on the front page of the Herald, or an ethnic street-march will turn up at your door.
There will also be some wicked demographic whizz-bangery at the beginning, for all you burgeoning ethno-geeks who really want to prove dat you down wid'it.
Preliminary bouquet to the Herald for sending their Head of News. Preliminary brickbat to Radio NZ for only sending their ethnic-media-ghetto-slot person who already knows how to engage with ethnic communities. If they haven't been listening to her up til now, I don't know what a forum's gonna do.
Honestly, MSM-types please do go along, if only to meet ethnic minority people who aren't me, giving you someone else to call when you want to find out what the so-called 'community' thinks. Talking to people is not so hard.
Some preliminary reading if you're going: Engaging Asian Communities from the Asia:NZ foundation. Although the news coverage when it was released the other month was entertainingly absurd ('Newsflash! Asians experience racism!') the key focus of this report was largely missed - how to include migrant communities into host societies in practical ways.