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Transcript/Script((PLAYBOOK SLUG: TV PF Migrant Media
HEADLINE: By immigrants, for immigrants: Documented covers immigration through a personal lens
TEASER:
PUBLISHED AT: 10/31/2024 at 1pm
BYLINE: Liam Scott and Cristina Caicedo Smit
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: New York City, NY
VIDEOGRAPHER: Cristina Caicedo Smit and Tina Trinh
VIDEO EDITOR: Cristina Caicedo Smit
SCRIPT EDITORS: JJ, Baragona
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV __ RADIO __
TRT: 2:46
VID APPROVED BY: MAS
TYPE: TVR
EDITOR NOTES: For VOA Press Freedom. Questions/review Jessica Jerreat, Cristina Caicedo Smit))
((INTRO))
In New York, a media outlet run by immigrants for immigrants uses messaging apps to engage with communities on elections, crime and local issues. In New York City, Liam Scott and Cristina Caicedo Smit have the story, narrated by Caicedo Smit.
((NARRATION))
In a busy street in Chinatown, April Xu heads to her next assignment for the immigrant-focused news outlet Documented. Originally from Wuhan, China, Xu now covers immigrants who, like her, make New York City their home.
((April Xu, Correspondent for ‘Documented’)) ((Female in English))
“I [am] covering some important issues or topics related to Chinese immigrants or [the] Chinese community in New York City.”
((NARRATION))
To connect with audiences, many of whom have limited English, Xu uses the WeChat social media app. It acts as a two-way street, she says.
((April Xu, Correspondent for ‘Documented’)) ((Female in English))
“So, we communicate with them, and we also receive input or inquiries from them, which will, in turn, inspire us for more content and stories.”
((NARRATION))
Xu also gets out into the community, covering meetings like this one in Chinatown’s 5th Precinct. Here, residents talk about concerns and receive data on crime.
((April Xu, Correspondent for ‘Documented’)) ((Female in English))
“We found that public safety or crime [is] the top issue they [are] concern[ed] the most about.”
((NARRATION))
Dedicated coverage for and about immigrants is the mainstay of Documented. The media outlet is run by -- and for – those who make up New York’s estimated 3.1 million immigrants.
((For radio: Fisayo Okare, is the newsletter writer at Documented))
((Fisayo Okare, ‘Documented’ Writer)) ((Female in English))
“We pride ourselves [at] Documented in being able to not just write about immigrants, but to write for them and with them.”
((Narration))
Recently, that focus has been on elections. Documented works to bring the national conversation around policy to a local level all while debunking false claims on the campaign trail.
((For radio: Mazin Sidahmed is the co-founder of Documented))
((Mazin Sidahmed, ‘Documented’ Co-Founder)) ((Male in English))
“So, we just try to stay focused and consistent in the work that we're doing. We know that the national attention kind of goes up and down, but we really try and maintain our focus and really serving the communities that we want to reach.”
((NARRATION))
Most of the team are immigrants, so they understand the complexities of issues important to their communities. That was the idea behind the media outlet, says Sidahmed.
Originally from Sudan, he worked for mainstream media before helping found Documented in 2018.
((Mazin Sidahmed, ‘Documented’ Co-Founder)) ((Male in English))
“But one of the areas that was a bit different, that we actually wanted to do differently [from] how we'd been reporters previously, was that we wanted to actually create immigration reporting and news generally for immigrant communities, not just about immigrant communities.”
((NARRATION))
To do that, Documented turned to the social media apps most used by the communities they cover, to share content in English, Spanish, Mandarin and Haitian Creole.
((NARRATION))
Sidahmed says their audience wants to be seen in the news in a positive way, and Documented helps them be seen and heard.
((With Liam Scott in New York, Cristina Caicedo Smit, VOA News))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
Subtitles / Dubbing AvailableNo
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateOctober 31, 2024 13:11 EDT
BylineLiam Scott and Cristina Caicedo Smit
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English, US Agency for Global Media
