VOICES Publishing from the AAJA National Convention
Sharon Chan, a past president of AAJA, has been named director of journalism initiatives at The Seattle Times to help expand storytelling, commentary and community engagement.
As the landscape of journalism shifts, with revenue coming in from the web and with audiences engaging with a variety of new media, Chan’s newly created role will allow her to develop innovative models of journalism to adapt to the audience’s needs.
Chan’s appointment will make her one of the few Asian American women at the top of her profession.
“I am really lucky to work at a company that supports … not just women, but also Asian Americans,” Chan said.
The position follows 15 years of working as reporter and opinion editor at The Seattle Times, covering the nonprofit and philanthropy industry.
“As an experienced and highly regarded journalist, Sharon is the ideal fit for this new role,” said Frank Blethen, publisher of The Seattle Times, in a news release. “She already has extensive experience in the nonprofit journalism community.”
In her new role, Chan plans to focus her attention on public service journalism, incorporating topics such as education and health.
This comes at a time when advertising revenue has declined in the industry and many media outlets are attempting to cultivate new sources of revenue. Chan says there are “a lot of foundations interested in supporting” a new model of journalism.
For instance, Chan has been overseeing the Education Lab project since last year, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Knight Foundation. The project aggregates issues and developments in education in the Pacific Northwest through multimedia: video, audio, guest voices, reader questions, community events and live chats on Google+.
Chan said projects like these will engage the community better and pioneer a different journalism pathway.
“It’s digital, it’s print, it’s heavy engagement,” she said, adding that newspapers have not been successful at keeping up with engaging their audiences in the past. As the industry adapts to fill new demands, The Seattle Times can play a meaningful role in leading these changes rather than just sitting back and following, she said.
While Chan’s appointment indicates greater diversity in the journalism industry, Chan said it still has a long way to go.
“Where are the top Asian American executive editors in newsrooms?” she said. “Where are the top women Asian American executive editors?”
While she misses reporting, Chan says she isn’t interested in going back to that life.
“It’’s not just about empowering myself to write,” she said, “it’s about empowering a whole lot of other peoples’ stories to be told on a higher plane.”
Follow @sadiakhatri on Twitter.
