Pacific Citizen
Encyclopedia
The Pacific Citizen is a national, award-winning semi-monthly newspaper based in Los Angeles
, California
, United States
. The P.C. has been providing the leading Asian Pacific American (APA) news to the community since its inception in 1929. The newspaper is published by the Japanese American Citizens League
, JACL, which is the nation’s oldest and largest APA civil rights organization.
.
The publication’s name was officially changed to Pacific Citizen in 1931, chosen in a national contest. When World War II
broke out, 120,000 Japanese Americans were interned. To keep the publication running smoothly, the newspaper was moved to Salt Lake City, Utah
. In Utah, editor Larry Tajiri was hired to run the then-weekly newspaper. The print newspaper evolved into a reputable news source under the leadership of Tajiri.
Coverage during World War II included the chronicling of everyday life at the camps and the heroism of the Nisei (second generation Japanese American) soldiers. The Friends of the American Way nominated the P.C. for a Pulitzer Prize
in 1946 for its journalism coverage. At war’s end in the early 1950s the P.C. returned to the West Coast to Los Angeles, California. On September 27, 1952 Tajiri put together his last P.C. newspaper as editor.
Since its inception, the P.C. has been the meeting place for many well-known Japanese American journalists and community leaders like Bill Hosokawa
, Togo Tanaka
, Mike Masaoka
, Bill Marutani and Saburo Kido.
The P.C. also covered the Redress Movement, which sought to give reparations to Japanese Americans, who were interned during World War II. The P.C. was there in the room when President Ronald Reagan
signed the Redress
bill granting Japanese Americans who were affected by the World War II internment an official apology letter and monetary compensation.
, who in June 2006, refused to deploy to Iraq for his unit's assigned rotation to Operation Iraqi Freedom citing the legality of the war. The newspaper has also focused on civil rights issues, including same-sex marriages in California and beyond. The P.C. Web site has generated over 450,000 hits per month since its launch in 2005. The P.C.’s Web site provides exclusive content and articles that are not found in the print edition.
Currently, P.C. subscribers and JACL members can access an exclusive section of the PacificCitizen.org through the “MyP.C.” section. Today, the P.C. staff consists of: Caroline Aoyagi-Stom, executive editor; Lynda Lin, assistant editor; Nalea J. Ko, reporter; Staci Hisayasu, business manager; and Eva Lau-Ting, circulation manager. In 2005 Aoyagi-Stom won the New America Media Awards along with Lin, who also won the New America Media
first place award in arts, sports and entertainment reporting in 2009.
The P.C. celebrated its 80th anniversary in early 2009.
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The P.C. has been providing the leading Asian Pacific American (APA) news to the community since its inception in 1929. The newspaper is published by the Japanese American Citizens League
Japanese American Citizens League
The was formed in 1929 to protect the rights of Japanese Americans from the state and federal governments. It fought for civil rights for Japanese Americans, assisted those in internment camps during World War II, and led a successful campaign for redress for internment from the U.S...
, JACL, which is the nation’s oldest and largest APA civil rights organization.
World War II coverage
Founded over 80 years ago, the P.C. was initially called , meaning Japanese American Citizen. The publication was based in San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
.
The publication’s name was officially changed to Pacific Citizen in 1931, chosen in a national contest. When World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
broke out, 120,000 Japanese Americans were interned. To keep the publication running smoothly, the newspaper was moved to Salt Lake City, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. In Utah, editor Larry Tajiri was hired to run the then-weekly newspaper. The print newspaper evolved into a reputable news source under the leadership of Tajiri.
Coverage during World War II included the chronicling of everyday life at the camps and the heroism of the Nisei (second generation Japanese American) soldiers. The Friends of the American Way nominated the P.C. for a Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
in 1946 for its journalism coverage. At war’s end in the early 1950s the P.C. returned to the West Coast to Los Angeles, California. On September 27, 1952 Tajiri put together his last P.C. newspaper as editor.
Redress coverage
Former Shin Nichibei staffer Harry K. Honda became editor when the newspaper moved to Los Angeles.Since its inception, the P.C. has been the meeting place for many well-known Japanese American journalists and community leaders like Bill Hosokawa
Bill Hosokawa
William Kumpai Hosokawa was a Japanese American author and journalist who worked for 38 years at The Denver Post, before retiring as the editorial page editor from that particular paper in 1984. Hosokawa retired from the newspaper industry in 1992.Hosokawa was also a prolific author...
, Togo Tanaka
Togo Tanaka
Togo W. Tanaka was an American newspaper journalist and editor who reported on the difficult conditions in the Manzanar internment camp, where he was one of 110,000 Japanese Americans who had been relocated after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.-Early life and...
, Mike Masaoka
Mike Masaoka
Mike Masaru Masaoka was born in Fresno, California. The family moved to Salt Lake City where Masaoka legally changed his first name to "Mike" and became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints....
, Bill Marutani and Saburo Kido.
The P.C. also covered the Redress Movement, which sought to give reparations to Japanese Americans, who were interned during World War II. The P.C. was there in the room when President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
signed the Redress
Redress
In film, a redress is the redecoration of an existing movie set, so that it can double for another set. This saves the trouble and expenses of constructing a second, new set, though they face the difficulty of doing it so the average viewer does not notice the same set is reused...
bill granting Japanese Americans who were affected by the World War II internment an official apology letter and monetary compensation.
Today’s coverage
Today, the P.C. covers national news affecting the Asian Pacific American community. Coverage in the past years included exclusive interviews with 1st Lt. Ehren WatadaEhren Watada
Ehren K. Watada was a First Lieutenant of the United States Army. He was the first commissioned officer in the US armed forces to refuse to deploy to Iraq, in June, 2006...
, who in June 2006, refused to deploy to Iraq for his unit's assigned rotation to Operation Iraqi Freedom citing the legality of the war. The newspaper has also focused on civil rights issues, including same-sex marriages in California and beyond. The P.C. Web site has generated over 450,000 hits per month since its launch in 2005. The P.C.’s Web site provides exclusive content and articles that are not found in the print edition.
Currently, P.C. subscribers and JACL members can access an exclusive section of the PacificCitizen.org through the “MyP.C.” section. Today, the P.C. staff consists of: Caroline Aoyagi-Stom, executive editor; Lynda Lin, assistant editor; Nalea J. Ko, reporter; Staci Hisayasu, business manager; and Eva Lau-Ting, circulation manager. In 2005 Aoyagi-Stom won the New America Media Awards along with Lin, who also won the New America Media
New America Media
New America Media is a multimedia ethnic news agency and a coalition of ethnic media. Founded in 1996 by the nonprofit Pacific News Service, NAM is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in Los Angeles, New York and Washington, DC...
first place award in arts, sports and entertainment reporting in 2009.
The P.C. celebrated its 80th anniversary in early 2009.