[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 28 (Tuesday, March 5, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E277]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   IN SUPPORT OF FREEDOM OF THE PRESS

                                 ______


                       HON. GEORGE P. RADANOVICH

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 5, 1996

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, as an avid believer in the Constitution 
of the United States of America, I take particular pride in the 
diversity of our people and those who make use of the powers vested in 
our Constitution to make this country great.
  There are several people in my district who share in my desire to 
keep the minority community informed about issues at home and abroad. 
People such as Bee Vang, who interned in my office last summer, is now 
the anchor of Hmong TV USA and Uniting Hmong Radio. Rafael Hernandez, 
El Grafico newspaper director, keeps the Hispanic community abreast of 
issues with his weekly newspaper. Harout Sassounian, who has many ties 
with the large Armenian-American population in the district, is the 
publisher of the California Courier in Glendale, CA. Finally, there is 
Mark Kimber, who has made the California Advocate a reputable 
publication in Fresno for nearly three decades.
  Recently there was an article in The Fresno Bee, the leading 
newspaper in my congressional district, in which the writer, Karla 
Bruner, wrote about the minority media, and its impact on the 19th 
Congressional District. Her Journalistic talents and keen awareness of 
minority communities in the district make her account all the more 
informative.
  The press has played an important part in shaping our history and our 
great Nation. I salute the above mentioned people for their valuable 
contributions to the 19th District. I take pleasure in sharing the 
following article by Karla Bruner for the Fresno Bee:

     Minority Media Outlets Strive To Tell Their Side of the Story

       A handful of racial and ethnic groups in Fresno are 
     practicing freedom of the press their way.
       Frustrated with mainstream media that they believe do not 
     represent their ethnic community well or just do not speak 
     the language, they have set up their own media groups.
       Joining this tradition will be The Hmong American Times, 
     which will begin publishing Feb. 1. It will replace The Hmong 
     Times, which began under another name in 1990.
       Locha Thao, the newspaper's new publisher, said he entered 
     the business to help his community, not to make money.
       ``We need voices. We need a newspaper in our own language 
     for the elders to understand,'' he said. Several thousand 
     subscribers are expected to continue paying for the 
     newspaper. Other copies are distributed free at Hmong stores 
     and businesses.
       Thao echoes one of the main reasons why Hmong, Armenians, 
     Hispanics and African-Americans run their own newspapers, 
     television and radio programs. They do not want to be 
     stereotyped. They want to maintain their identity.
       ``The black press has been an institution in our community 
     for hundreds of years. We support our own media, tell our own 
     story. It's a historical fact that the general media doesn't 
     represent us,'' said Mark Kimber, publisher of the California 
     Advocate newspaper in Fresno, a weekly publication that has 
     served the African-American community for almost 29 years. It 
     has 22,000 paid subscribers.
       Kimber said that many times when the mainstream media show 
     African-Americans, they are being arrested. He said his 
     newspaper tries to highlight the accomplishments of African-
     American lawyers and doctors.
       Bee Vang, an anchor for Asian Broadcasting, which airs 
     Hmong-language programs on local television stations, knows 
     Kimber's frustration.
       ``[The mainstream media] usually represent the worst side 
     of the Hmong,'' he said.
       That does not mean journalists in the minority media 
     represent their communities in a positive light only, he and 
     others said. Vang said the Hmong program last year aired the 
     story regarding the rape of a girl by Hmong youths, for 
     example.
       ``The thing is, we talk to the leadership of the 
     community,'' he said. ``Say we do a story and we talk to 
     leaders to ask them how the [Hmong] culture is affected--then 
     there's less of a negative response [to the story].''
       Rafael Hernandez, director of El Grafico, a Spanish-
     language weekly in Fresno, said his newspaper is not afraid 
     to go after anyone--even if they are Hispanic. About 20,000 
     copies of the newspaper are distributed at no charge in 
     Fresno.
       ``We're not like big newspapers who are afraid of lawsuits. 
     * * * We write what the people want,'' he said.
       Harut Sassounian, publisher of the California Courier, a 
     38-year-old English-language Armenian newspaper, said 
     minority-run newspapers serve a special role.
       The California Courier was published in Fresno until 1988 
     and is now in Glendale. It has 3,000 paid subscribers.
       He said minority-run newspapers are like the ``village 
     newspaper that is read by everybody.''
       ``The Fresno Bee and New York Times aren't going to take a 
     political position on every Armenian issue and people want 
     direction,'' he said.

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