The following is an Opinion piece, exclusively written by Crystal Bui, CEO of The Proud Asian.
In light of the deadly mass shootings affecting the Asian community, I can’t believe I even have to write this.
Last week, The Proud Asian received a menacing message, sent through our contact form that lists the AsAmNews and author Randall Yip as the sender. I have graciously chosen to redact his phone number.
In it, Yip, apparently, on behalf of AsAmNews, had grievances about The Proud Asian’s news media website; our website promotes the work of Asian Americans through curated content and also through our own original reporting on stories affecting the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.
When I first read the AsAmNews message, I thought: this must be a joke.
Is this meant to be a seemingly threatening message from someone who hates the AAPI community and wants to stop The Proud Asian’s mission to highlight Asian American lives and share Asian American voices? Why is there a photo of a gun — and apparently attached twice “hand-gun.jpg; hand-gun.jpg.” Surely it can’t be a hateful message from one Asian journalist to another.
And yet, there it was. Yip’s message.
Here it is again Twitter! @AsAmNews sending me this email with a photo of a gun attached. A reminder: the #MontereyPark shooting from an Asian perpetrator killing Asian victims, with a gun, was on Jan 21, 2023. 11 victims dead; 9 victims injured. pic.twitter.com/Gs58yluKMJ
— Crystal Bui (@crystalbuitv) February 9, 2023
The Proud Asian showcases other Asian journalists, and factors in any suggested industry guidelines. We share the initial paragraphs of a curated article with our readers (generally less than 2,000 characters). Then, we promote their work by adding a link to the original author’s story and/or their media outlet. We add the news source’s bio, and we also link to their social media handles. It’s free promotion for them.
It’s beneficial to have anyone sharing your work. Our curated content sends more traffic to those websites, elevating their SEO, and also giving publicity to their work.
So, Yip’s grievance is unsound.
However, that’s not the main issue here. It’s the fact that despite having to click “Choose File” and “Attach” the file… Yip is pretending this never really happened. He’s pretending the image isn’t there. He is trying to gaslight a fellow Asian-American journalist.
This means, he’s telling me, you and The Proud Asian, to not believe our eyes.
Yes, I could have let this all go.
I could have chalked it up to the ignorance of one Asian journalist who thought it was appropriate to attach and message a fellow Asian journalist a picture of a gun following mass shootings.
But, you know what? I am tired as an Asian-American woman of being expected to take things in silence. I am tired as an Asian-American woman of being gaslit by others who want to invalidate what I know to be true.
Let me be clear about The Proud Asian’s mission:
Being Asian should not be equated with being a target, being a burden, or being denied a sense of belonging. To me, being Asian now means coming out of the shadows and asserting firmly that we belong here as much as anyone else. That We Are Proud.
The Proud Asian provides a safe community, a place of belonging to share stories that matter to the Asian American and Pacific Islanders.
Per Google News, curated or syndicated content is allowed, as Google News’s website — and other media sources such as Medium, StumbleUpon, Reddit — do the same. Essentially, these websites use programs such as RSS Feeds to share curated news.
So what do I, personally, plan on doing on my own?
Well, first, AsAmNews has sponsors who, apparently, support their work and journalism. On the “About” page for AsAmNews, there is a list of organizations:
The site is supported in part by a grant from the California State Library Commission and by the generous support of its readership who are recognized on our Bad Ass Asian donor Wall of Fame.
In May 2022, AsAmNews received numerous accolades including the Torch Award from the National Association of Asian Pacifics in Politics and Public Affairs […] That same month, the California AAPI Legislative Caucus awarded AsAmNews a commendation for “uplifting Asian American and Pacific Islander visibility and voices in the face of xenophobia and increased anti-Asian violence.”
Earlier in May, the Asian Hustle Network, a 200,000 member support group recognized Randall Yip, founder and editor of AsAmNews, with its its Unsung Heroes Award for working for the betterment of the community with little recognition.
Maybe those organizations and sponsors should know about what AsAmNews is doing behind the scenes and what actions they are taking as bonafide keyboard warriors.
So, this is my response. My voice and the AAPI community’s voice all deserve to be heard. Because in no way should a message like this EVER be acceptable. It is shameful.
Randall Yip: instead of doubling down on a clear lie that the photo was never sent, learn to own up to the truth. This is a reflection of who you are as a person and not a reflection of The Proud Asian’s media website aimed towards helping the AAPI community.
