August 2023 Newsletter

Welcome to AAJA Hawai‘i’s August newsletter! Here you’ll find chapter updates, member bylines, and announcements and resources from AAJA National and other journalism organizations.

If you have a story or career update you want to share, please let us know at hawaii@aaja.org.

Chapter Updates

Pau Hana this Thursday
We’re so excited to see everyone at our Aug. 3 pau hana at Honolulu Beerworks! If you would still like to attend but didn’t RSVP, please let chapter president Noelle Fujii-Oride know at hawaii@aaja.org. We are still accepting RSVPs.

AAJA Potluck
Mahalo to Annalisa Burgos for hosting an AAJA potluck on July 16th! Shown below are Curtis Murayama, James Song, Diane Lee, Janice Gin, Noelle Fujii-Oride, Doris Truong and Annalisa Burgos.

Hawai‘i Newsroom Diversity Survey
AAJA Hawai‘i is still accepting responses to its Hawai‘i Media Newsroom Diversity Survey. Please feel free to share the link with fellow Hawai‘i journalists! We are hoping all major newsrooms in the state participate in this survey.

 

Member News

Congratulations to the following AAJA Hawai‘i members on their Hawai‘i Society of Professional Journalists Awards! The awards were presented at the July 19th dinner at the Japanese Cultural Center. More information on the results and judges’ comments here.

• Anita Hofschneider, Honolulu Civil Beat, “Journey To Care,” 2nd Place Health Reporting
• Thomas Heaton, Honolulu Civil Beat, “Ticking Ecological Time Bombs: Thousands Of Sunken Ships From WWI Are Rusting At The Bottom Of The Pacific,” (co-authored by Nathan Eagle) 1st Place Science Reporting
• Cassie Ordonio, Honolulu Civil Beat, “How To Keep Hawaii’s Rarest Plants From Disappearing? Freeze Them,” 2nd Place Science Reporting
  • “A Tale Of 2 Monarchies: Queen Elizabeth’s Death Stirs Up Mixed Feelings in Hawaii,” 1st Place Arts/Entertainment Writing
• Noelle Fujii-Oride, Hawaii Business Magazine, 1st Place Best Body of Work – Single Writer
  • “Here’s Which Ethnic Groups Make the Most Money in Hawai‘i,” 1st Place Data Journalism
  • “Comparing Paychecks to Living Costs,” 2nd Place Data Journalism
  • “The Gender Pay Gap Narrowed, Then the Pandemic Arrived,” 3rd Place Data Journalism
  • “Child Care is a Labor of Love,” 1st Place Business Reporting, 3rd Place Industry or Trade Reporting, and 2nd Place Feature Writing/Long Form
  • “Real estate coverage,” (with Janis Magin Meierdiercks) 1st Place Industry or Trade Reporting
• Ryan Ozawa, Hawaii Bulletin, “Libraries can be gateway esports, tech careers,” 1st Place Feature Writing/Short Form
  • “Local coworking grew despite work-from-home pandemic,” 2nd Place Feature Writing/Short Form
  • Hawaii Bulletin, 2nd Place Best 1-Person Online Features Site
  • “To Honor the Past and Elevate Hawaiian Culture and Values,” 3rd Place Feature Writing/Short Form
• Marisa Yamane, KITV4, “Residents fight to save Waialua ag land,” 3rd Place General News/Enterprise Reporting (with Bert Yoshishige)
  • “Victoria’s Story,” 1st Place Feature Reporting (with Bert Yoshishige)
• April Estrellon and Christina Jedra, Honolulu Civil Beat, “Game: How Long Does It Take to Get A Permit From Honolulu?” 1st Place Best Multimedia Presentation
• Christina Jedra, Honolulu Civil Beat, “Red Hill Military Fuel Crisis,” 1st Place Investigative Reporting
• John Hill, Honolulu Civil Beat, “Hawaii v. Parental Rights,” 2nd Place Investigative Reporting

Member Bylines

Red Hill’s Fuel Director Raised An Alarm Before Pipes Leaked. The Navy Removed Her
Honolulu Civil Beat’s Christina Jedra reports on the Navy’s removal of Lt. Cmdr. Shannon Bencs, the former Red Hill fuel director who tried to raise an alarm before the facility’s pipes leaked 20,000 gallons of fuel.

The Future of Employment
Building Management Hawaii’s Chris Aguinaldo reports on hiring trends for maintenance, landscaping, construction and office workers.
Old Waialua Sugar Mill smoke stack being torn down
KITV4’s Marisa Yamane reports on the old Waialua Sugar Mill smoke stack, which is being taken down due to safety reasons.

Tech View: Artificial intelligence is inside your company, so plan wisely
Hawaii Bulletin’s Ryan Ozawa reports on the many ways that artificial intelligence is already being used in various industries – and what companies should be discussing as they develop their AI policies.

Restoration in order for Queen Liliʻuokalani’s royal standard after historic homecoming
Hawai‘i Public Radio’s Cassie Ordonio reports on the return of Queen Lili‘uokalani’s royal standard at Washington Place in Honolulu.

Hawaii Kava Growers Hope To Convince Food Regulators It’s Safe To Eat
Honolulu Civil Beat’s Thomas Heaton reports on efforts to have the FDA recognize kava as food – this move would enable them to become more widely available in shelf-ready form.

 

Aloha from #AAJA2023 in DC!

AAJA National’s convention took place July 19-23 at the Capital Hilton. Below are AAJA members Kimberly Yuen, Jason Ubay, Wes Nakama, Molly Solomon and Suevon Lee.

Other Resources

Overcoming Challenges Interpreting Economic Trends and Data

A free Zoom seminar for journalists with Hawaiʻi economist Paul Brewbaker on Thursday, Sept. 14, 12 – 1 p.m. Sponsored by the Hawaii Publishers Association.

A misread of economic data by journalists and their editors can impact the public’s understanding of what is happening to Hawaiʻi and allow politicians to use that confusion to get re-elected for the wrong reasons.

The interactive Zoom will allow journalists to ask questions so they can be better equipped to report their stories.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82335857010?pwd=UXVzOGl4ci9JSkIxOGJ6aFZaYWVwZz09
Zoom meeting ID: 823 3585 7010  Passcode: 281302

About the speaker: Paul H. Brewbaker, Ph.D., CBE is the principal of TZ Economics, a Hawai‘i economics consultancy in corporate work, financial risk and development impact analysis, and litigation support. His background is in research on the Hawai‘i economy and financial risk analytics from a career in commercial banking. He is a graduate of Stanford University and received his Ph.D. from the University of Hawai‘i, both in economics. He also did graduate work at the University of Wisconsin, taught at its Madison and Milwaukee campuses, and in the University of Hawai‘i system. He is a member of the American Economic Association, American Finance Association, and National Association for Business Economics with its Certified Business Economist designation. He is a former president of the Hawai‘i Economic Association.

Local Job Openings

Honolulu Civil Beat is hiring for an education reporter and opinions writer. Anticipated salary range for the two roles: $75,000 to $95,000. The nonprofit news room is offering a relocation benefit for hired candidates outside of Hawai‘i and a housing assistance purchase option. More information available here.