The Korea Daily has been honored as the only Korean-American media to receive top recognition at the 2024 Ethnic Media Awards.
At the 2024 awards ceremony, held at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Sacramento at 7 p.m. on August 27, the EMS named the Korea Daily’s “Diagnosing LA’s Six-Month Homeless State of Emergency” as the top winner in the Politics and Public Policy that Foster Change category.
The article, “Emergency Diagnosis”, by Brian Choi, Hyoungjae Kim, and Suah Jang, pointed out that the number of homeless people in Los Angeles has not decreased despite the city and county’s extraordinary measures, including the declaration of a state of emergency, and that additional problems have emerged alongside it.
At the same time, the article resonated with the Korean-American community by suggesting that relevant organizations need more sensitive approaches and methods to help homeless people find employment and return to their daily lives.
The article was recognized for their in-depth coverage of homeless people and their practical needs and situations, which helped public agencies and the community better understand the reality of the homeless crisis.
The EMS Awards judges evaluated more than 300 media organizations that applied for the awards in a fierce competition. The judges said that the quality of the awards was enhanced by the outstanding productions and broadcasts.
A total of nine categories were awarded at the ceremony, with Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, and other ethnic media organizations winning awards. Little Saigon TV took home the top prize in The Struggle for Rights in California category for its documentary exploring the reality of LGBT people in the community.
“I applaud you for continuing to mobilize your communities and advocate for policy proposals to governments and organizations despite an increasingly challenging ethnic media environment,” said EMS Executive Director Sandy Close at the awards ceremony. “Many readers will remember the passion of the media and journalists here today.”
Ethnic Media Services is a nonprofit organized to communicate and promote ethnic media in California and organizes the annual Expo and Awards event. This year’s event was attended by the state Attorney General and the director of the state Department of Finance.
A total of 250 representatives and journalists from ethnic media organizations and various media outlets attended the two-day event from August 26 to 27. The Korea Daily is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and it has been recognized as one of the leading Asian media in the United States.
BY YEOL JANG, HOONSIK WOO [jang.yeol@koreadaily.com]
