Presentation: Asian American Preferences for International News and Global Press

Probe your preference for how international news is reported for Asian diaspora communities in the United States and transform your beliefs about what is good international reporting. 

Global Press uncovered how Asian American and Pacific Islander audiences in the U.S. prefer to get their international news in a 2023 report. Many respondents reported preferring international news from legacy news outlets that deploy “parachute journalists” from the U.S. or the U.K., but Global Press has a better approach that offers more dignified and precise coverage from local reporters who are part of the fabric of the foreign country. Team members Cristi Hegranes (founder and CEO of Global Press), Laxmi Parthasarathy (COO of Global Press) and Shilu Manandhar (Nepal senior reporter) will discuss how Global Press was able to change API respondents’ minds by demonstrating what ethical, effective and inclusive reporting looks like and how on-the-ground reporting in the Global Press style is clearer, more interesting and more meaningful. Manandhar will share examples of her own reporting from Nepal and will break down the components of the Global Press style as exemplified in her work, most likely awakening the appetite for Nepalese news you didn’t know you had.

Global Press was founded in 2006 by Cristi Hegranes, a young journalist who once dreamed of becoming a foreign correspondent. But after going overseas on her first assignment, she realized that she was the wrong person to be telling the world’s stories. Instead, Hegranes passed her pen to local women in the community who had the social, historical, cultural context and the source access to tell accurate, world-changing stories. Since 2006, Global Press has trained more than 250 local journalists across 40 communities. Together, they're transforming global narratives.

Cristi Hegranes is the CEO of Global Press, the Publisher of Global Press Journal and the author of Byline: How Local Journalists Can Improve the Global News Industry and Change the World. She founded Global Press in 2006 to create a new form of ethical, accurate global news. Her values-driven approach to journalism prioritizes newsroom representation to create a dignified, precise news product. Previously, Hegranes worked as a journalist for Village Voice Media in New York and San Francisco. She has a Master’s degree in journalism from New York University and a Bachelor’s degree from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

Laxmi Parthasarathy is the COO of Global Press. She leads global operations across each Global Press brand, spearheads the global expansion strategy to build new bureaus and develops new partnership strategies to bolster the organization’s reach and long-term sustainability. Over her career, she has led initiatives at the intersection of media and development in Canada, India, Rwanda, Mexico, Spain, Argentina and the UK. Parthasarathy holds a Master’s degree in Media, Communications and Development from the London School of Economics and did her undergraduate studies at Carleton University in Canada. 

Shilu Manandhar is a Global Press Journal senior reporter based in Kathmandu, Nepal. She specializes in migration and environmental reporting in Nepal. She studied at Christ College in Bangalore, India. Manandhar’s coverage of Nepalese migrant workers in Qatar has won numerous awards and been cited in legislative changes.

Connect 

Global Press – Website | Global Press – Twitter | Global Press – Facebook | Global Press – Instagram 

Cristi Hegranes -- Website | Cristi Hegranes – Twitter | Cristi Hegranes – LinkedIn | Cristi Hegranes – Email 

Laxmi Parthasarathy – Twitter | Laxmi Parthasarathy – LinkedIn 

Shilu Manandhar – Facebook | Shilu Manandhar – Email