Newsgroups: soc.culture.asian.american
Subject: MANAA
From: mota@batpad.lgb.ca.us (Matthew Ota)
Date: Sun, 24 Jan 93 13:14:20 PST
Organization: The Batchelor Pad

The Media Action Network for Asian-Americans (MANAA, or "man-nah") is 
a non-profit educational organization solely dedicated to advocating  
accurate, balanced, and sensitive coverage and portrayals of 
Asian-Americans in all forms of mass media- television, motion 
pictures, news, print, commercials, radio, etc. The organization was 
founded in Los Angeles in 1992 to counter decades-long media 
practices such as gender-stereotyping, "Yellowface" (the casting of 
non-Asians in Asian-specific acting roles), gratuitous use of racial 
slurs, fostering economic resentment toward Asians, etc.
  Among MANAA's goals are educating the mainstream mass media and the 
larger community about the effects of dehumanizing stereotypes that 
trivialize Asian Americans and to prevent media offenses from 
happening in the future. MANAA believes that such harmful images 
detrimentally affect the self-esteem of Asian Pacific American people 
and the way they are viewed by non-Asians. Underscoring this point is 
a report from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, which states: "The 
public's perceptions and attitudes towrd Asian-Americans are heavily 
influenced by the way Asian-Americans are portrayed by the media. ...
THe media have a major role to play in modulating racial tensions and 
shaping the future of relations between the Asian-American community 
and the public at large.
  MANAA achieves its media watchdog objectives through its network of 
interested individuals and community organizations. After verifying a 
media offense, MANAA immediately contacts members of its network so 
that a concerted response can occur against the offending party. 
MANAA also believes in praising examples of positive or balanced 
portrayals of Asians in the hopes of encouraging others in their 
industry to do likewise.
  The Media Watch Hotline, (213)486-4433 enables the public to notify 
MANAA when media offenses occur. THis is vital, since no single 
organization alone can be aware of everything all the time. MANAA 
also holds dialogues with the entertainment industry to advocate fair 
and balanced roles for Asian Pacific actors.

                      OBJECTIVES:
 To advocate and provide positive reinforcement for fair, accurate 
sensitive and balanced depictions and news coverage of persons of 
Asian Pacific descent in the media.
 To monitor depictions in the media of persons of Asian Pacific 
descent.
 To educate the public and the media about what persons of Asian 
Pacific descent may find racially offensive, stereotypical and/or 
inaccurate and why it is harmful.
 To organize and operate a network among Asian Pacific Americans and 
other community organizations so that a coordinated response to media 
offenses can result.
 To encourage increased news coverage of significant issues of 
concern for Asian Pacific Americans.
 To develop a national presence as a media watchdog/advocacy 
organization capable of representing the concerns of the Asian 
Pacific American community.
 To foster an environment of increased sensitivity toward, and 
respect for, the dignity of the Asian Pacific community.
 To hold the media accountable for their depictions of persons of 
Asian Pacific descent.
 To hold individuals accountable for unfair or derogatory statements 
made in the media about persons of Asian Pacific descent.
 To improve the present state of the treatment and portrayals of 
persons of Asian Pacific descent in the media and in the society.
 To discourage and fight for the end of gender stereotyping of 
persons of Asian Pacific descent in the media.
 To support Asian Pacific Americans employed in the media and 
advocate increased employment of Asain Pacific Americans in the media 
industry.
 To promote and encourage Asian Pacific American talent in the arts, 
broadly defined.
 To serve as a resource for research regarding the treatment in the 
media of persons of Asian Pacific descent.
 To produce and distribute a newsletter promoting these objectives 
and the activities of the Media Action Network for Asian-Americans.

                   HOTLINE
  If you read, hear or see an offensive intem in the media that 
pertains to the Asian American community, call MANAA's Media Watch 
Hotline at (213)486-4433. If from radio or TV, you will be asked to 
leave the date, time, name of the program and the station call 
letters. If from a newspaper or magazine, leave the name and date. 
Only then can MANAA follow up with the appropriate parties. Video and 
Audio copies greatly help to expedite our work.

                    MEMBERSHIP
   MANAA's annual membership dues are $25, $15 for students. Please 
send the attached application form along with a check made payable to 
"MANAA" to P.O. Box 1881, Santa Monica, CA 90406-1881. You will be 
told of upcoming mettings and recieve a quarterly newsletter updating 
you on MANAA activities.

                     DONATIONS
  In order to be an effective instrument for change, MANAA needs your 
financial support. It takes money to operate the Hotline, make 
telephone calls, photocopy articles, duplicate and distribute tapes, 
and maintain correspondences. Donations are tax-deductable. WIth your 
help, MANAA may someday achieve its greatest goal- improve media 
depictions of Asians to the point where MANAA no longer needs to 
exist.

                  MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

[ ] Yes, I am interested in supporting MANAA by becoming a member.
    Enclosed is a check ($25/year, $15/year for students) for 
    membership, which entitles me to recieve the newsletter.

[ ] Yes, I would like to make a tax deductable donation of $______
    to help MANAA achieve its goals.

[ ] Yes, I am interested in supporting MANAA by volunteering time
    and services. Please call or write me.

    NAME__________________________________________
    ADDRESS________________________________________
           _______________________________________
    CITY, STATE__________________________________
    ZIP CODE______________________
    Work Phone (   )   -    
    Home Phone (   )   -
    FAX:       (   )   -

                   Mail to:

                MANAA
            P.O. Box 1881
      Santa Monica, CA 90406-1881


end of message

--
Matthew Ota, who doesn't yet have an obnoxious .signature...
mota@batpad.lgb.ca.us  - or -  uunet!cerritos!batpad!mota
Organization: Masters student, Civil Engineering, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA