The media outlets in Queens reflect the diversity of its residents and a recent forum explored their roles in bringing communities together.
“If there isn’t a strong community press, there isn’t a press at all,” said Juana Ponce de León, Executive Director of the New York Community Media Alliance, who gave the closing remarks during the program called “Creating an Inclusive Society: The Role and Responsibility of Ethnic and Local Media,” on Tuesday, April 20.
More than 80 people attended the program – a part of Immigrant Heritage Week, a project of the Mayor’s Office of International Affairs – created by The Queens Forum, a partnership of LaGuardia Community College and CAUSE-NY, the intergroup relations division of the Jewish Community Relations Council of NY. Former NY1 reporter Gary Anthony Ramsey gave the keynote address.
Both Ramsey and Ponce de León stressed greater collaboration between ethnic and local media and encouraged them to expand their coverage to include stories from other communities, since, more often than not, they have similar issues.
Several community groups in attendance learned more about how to better work with their local media outlets.
“A large part of our job is outreach. We try to connect people in need of health and social services with care providers,” said Phyllis Shafran, executive director of the Queens Health Coalition. “The message today is two-fold. Community organizations should understand the significant role that this media can play in helping to achieve their mission; and ethnic and local media must accept responsibility in helping to engage the people often left in the margins of our society.”
The panel of ethnic and local media included reporters, editors, or publishers of El Correo de Queens, Press of Southeast Queens, ITV, World Journal, Bukharian Times, The Korean Channel, and Chardikala.
