NAM is the largest, oldest and most diverse network of ethnic media outlets in the United States. Founded as New California Media in 1996 by the nonprofit Pacific News Service, it went national in 2005.

New America Media is a national collaboration of more than 700 ethnic news organizations. NAM, with its 700-plus member news outlets, produces and collects editorial content from and for the ethnic media and develops marketing services to target ethnic audiences and promote ethnic media. With Knight funding, it is working to create networks of ethnic media in cities around the country. Those networks will help connect ethnic journalists with each other, with the mainstream media, with local universities, and with news sources in government. Recently, NAM’s success inspired the creation of a similar organization on the East Coast, the Boston-based Ethnic Media Project.

In November last year, NAM held its first New America Media awards competition – nicknamed the “ethnic Pulitzers” – after nine years of California-only events. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke at this year’s awards, saying, “Ethnic media represent the way the new Washington needs to connect to the new America.” (Check out the video of her speech on this page.)

By celebrating ethnic journalists’ best work and giving them a chance to compete with other journalists – something language barriers can prevent – NAM hopes to encourage a continuing push for higher standards.

Some of the award winners:

For commentary: A poignant story too familiar to many immigrants was told by Chang Hyun Roh in the Korean language Daily Sports Seoul of  New York. It was called “The Generation and Communication Gap: When your child doesn’t speak your language.”  

For investigative reporting: Dennis Romero, for an article in Los Angeles’ Tu Ciudad, about the significant minority of Latinos who have joined the fight against illegal immigration.

For covering a multi-ethnic society:  Lavina Melwani, of New York’s Little India, for “The Colors of Desi,” about how one in nine Indian Americans is biracial.