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CalMatters/The Markup recently won two prestigious awards at the Asian American Journalists Association 2024 convention, this year in Austin, Texas. Chief Impact Officer Sisi Wei won the leadership in diversity and solidarity award, and investigative reporter Lam Thuy Vo won the inaugural AAJA-Medill innovator award.
Judges said, “Sisi Wei is a transformative leader who has turned The Markup into a diverse organization dedicated to having a real-world impact on people’s lives.”
Wei was editor-in-chief of The Markup from 2022-24, and this year, The Markup joined with CalMatters, to build a powerhouse California-rooted nonprofit, independent and nonpartisan news organization. Her honor recognized her past (and continued) trailblazing work in creating journalism with a clear mandate to have real-world impact on people’s lives.
The value of diversity is evident through Wei’s leadership at The Markup, both through how she approached hiring and staffing a diverse newsroom, and how she guided the team in producing thoughtful, award-winning journalism serving historically marginalized communities.
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During her first year as editor-in-chief, she redefined The Markup’s hiring practices to be among the most respectful and equitable in the industry. As a result, over the course of 12 months, The Markup’s newsroom staff grew from 39% to 65% journalists of color, and its editorial leadership team grew to 60% women of color.
The Markup’s journalism and mission, under Sisi’s guidance, also transformed from reporting on how technology shapes our lives, to challenging technology to serve the public good, and for its journalism to have a real-world impact.
In addition to The Markup’s major investigations highlighting how people have used technology and algorithms to directly harm students, unhoused people, and anyone suffering from the digital divide, for the first time, The Markup also published stories by community members themselves, amplifying their voice, their perspectives, and the solutions they’ve come up with as a part of multiple investigative packages.
“Throughout her career, Wei has valued helping fellow journalists of color succeed,” judges said. “She is a longtime mentor of multiple AAJA members—often those who are struggling to find a way to combine journalism, data, and technology—because she wants to pass forward the extraordinary mentorship she received from AAJA past president Paul Cheung.”
Former Markup investigative reporter Lam Thuy Vo was awarded the inaugural AAJA-Medill Innovator Community Award, for her fresh and innovative way of approaching AAPI issues in journalism.
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Judges said, “Lam Thuy Vo has pioneered what it means to truly serve the AAPI communities she reports on. Going beyond the journalism itself, Vo used what she learned during her reporting on misinformation in Vietnamese immigrant communities to create a misinformation workshop tailored to that community. After publishing, Vo returned in person to give the workshop. Her journalism not only highlights AAPI issues but also highlights how misinformation coverage has long ignored the specific issues experienced by AAPI communities.”
Vo’s series on the impact of misinformation on the Vietnamese immigrant community, “Languages of Misinformation,” also won the Asian American Journalism Association’s excellence in online/digital journalism engagement award earlier this year.
Judges said the series “brilliantly tackled misinformation on YouTube, hitting home for the Vietnamese and wider AAPI communities. By teaming up with Mai Bui, a 67-year-old YouTuber grandma, and crafting a guide for younger Vietnamese Americans, the work didn’t just tell a story—it gave a platform to real voices and bridged generational gaps. The multi-layered approach to connecting with the audience sets the work apart, making it a standout choice for the category.”
Congratulations too, to all of this year’s AAJA award winners.
CalMatters’ and AAJA continue training high school journalists
CalMatters partnered for a second year with the association on the JCal program, a summer training program for high school journalists. The work is part of CalMatters’ various programs dedicated to advancing youth journalism.
“AAJA is proud to be partnering with CalMatters again for this program’s second year. Last year’s cohort produced incredible work on the impact of climate change and drought on California’s communities, many of which were published by local news outlets. We’re thankful for the AAJA members and local newsrooms who supported JCal students, and we are excited for a second year of developing and training aspiring California journalists,” said AAJA Executive Director Naomi Tacuyan Underwood.
“We are excited to continue working with AAJA to help nurture the careers of these talented young journalists,” said CalMatters Editor-in-Chief Kristen Go. “They help make their communities richer by the stories they tell. Watching their excitement and partnership with their mentors is inspiring and energizing.”
Over five days in mid-June, the 22 students produced stories under the mentorship of 11 professionals and gained first hand experience in reporting on projects themed around California’s next workforce.
This year’s students came to Sacramento from across the state, including Granite Bay, Fresno, San Diego, Atascadero and beyond. Mentors included journalists from The New York Times, KAZU, Berkeleyside and The Desert Sun.
“With CalMatters as a partner and fortified by key mentors, AAJA aims to provide students with the introduction to ethical journalism practices and exposure to newsroom workflow through various curated sessions and activations,” said AAJA Director of Special Initiatives Felicia Chanco “The impact of JCal goes beyond the week we host the cohort in Sacramento. After closely working with the students, it is inspiring to know these students will soon step into their potential of being the next generation of media professionals that are community-responsive and equity-minded.
