Skip to content

DEI Stories

As part of the Advancing News Diversity in Asia (ANDA) project, AAJA-Asia invited staff journalists, freelancers and students in journalism from seven Asia markets – Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan – to apply for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) reporting fellowship.

Successful applicants submitted inspiring stories that explore the experiences of marginalized communities and individuals and their struggle for representation in their respective countries.

We warmly invite you to browse this unique collection of articles that shed a light on many unknown facets of diversity in the Asia Pacific region.

Breaking the Binary

By Tay Hui Zhi, Elena – Not many are aware of the existence and struggles the non-binary community face in Singapore. TAY …

Hong Kong’s Ethnic Minorities Continue to Face Racial Discrimination

By Charlotte Kwan – Hong Kong may be positioning itself as ‘Asia’s world city’, home to a multi-racial community. And yet it …

Islamophobia Spikes in South Korea as Locals Protest Mosque Construction

By Seung-ku Lee – On a recent afternoon, Muaz Razaq, a Pakistani student studying at Kyungpook National University in Daegu, South Korea, …

A ‘new normal’ among warring factions

By Yasmin Coles – For decades, many Filipinos, Muslims and Christians alike in southern Philippines live in fear: getting caught in the …

Beyond Charity and Inspirational Porn: Reporting on disability draws ire, praise

By Xie Yihui & Alexander Goh – How the mainstream media in Singapore’s Lion City portrays disabled people and their stories Dr …

Buddhist teens attend Islamic high school in North Lombok

By Satria Efendi – Children exemplify lessons of harmony in diversity in remote Indonesian village Note: In this story, as is common …

Home-Grown Southeast Asian Stories Rejected by Western Media

By Samira Hassan – After weeks of reporting on palm oil extraction alongside an international correspondent, Febriana Firdaus, an acclaimed journalist, was …

Marriage equality in Asia: Can Japan be next?

By Jun Tsuboike – TOKYO — A March 2021 court ruling that same-sex marriages are constitutional has given same-sex couples a glimmer …

Chinese community member in South Korea identify as “Taiwanese”

By Jonah Khu & Jaewon SHIN – “Go back to China!,” ”Stop pretending to be Taiwanese, ok? Go to China if you …

South Korean women still face an uphill battle in the news media

By Jeyup S. Kwaak – When a veteran South Korean journalist applied for a cub reporter position in the mid-1990s at one …

Realities of being transgender in Singapore

By Mick Yang – “There is a general sense of hopelessness of never being legally recognised as their authentic selves, especially given …

Japanese Muslim Women Face Hardship at Home and out in the World

By Ilgin Yorulmaz – TOKYO – The posting of Hawa Abdullah’s father to Taiwan when she was a girl was a blessing. …

Supported by