By Staff
Northwest Asian Weekly
Tiffany Ran (left) and Stacy Nguyen
If you’ve had to do a double take at our staff box recently, you’re not mistaken.
Something is different. At the end of last month, the paper said goodbye to its editor Stacy Nguyen, and a new editor came on board. Nguyen found a new opportunity working with social media for a technology consulting company.
“After nearly four years at the newspaper, it was very hard to leave because I had grown close to a lot of the staff members there, and Assunta was a great mentor to me. At the same time, I felt like it was time to shake things up and do something different. It’s easy to get used to a routine and get comfortable. But I think greatness comes out of feeling stressed, feeling uncomfortable, and feeling hungry. At the moment in my new job, I feel very stressed out. And hungry. It’s nice,” said Nguyen.
Aside from acting as editor for the paper, Nguyen also juggled the responsibilities of planning events for the Northwest Asian Weekly Foundation, managing social media, liaising with local leaders and organizations, and instructing interns and reporters. As editor, Nguyen won numerous awards for the paper in categories like editorial and commentary, graphics and illustrations, and front page design.
“Perhaps the best thing I learned from working at Northwest Asian Weekly is that our community ― Asian Americans ― really have this great capacity to instill change. I’ve met so many passionate people who are doing amazing work. It will be tough to not be tapped into that in a professional capacity anymore,” said Nguyen.
“I will miss working with the reporters immensely. Over the years, many of us have become good friends, so thankfully, I did not have to say goodbye to them. At the same time, I will miss nerding it out over words with them. It gives me pangs when I think of the fact that I will never get to edit Jason Cruz’s awesome sports column ever again. I will also miss working with interns. That was one thing I learned from Assunta, that it’s valuable to teach others.”
The new editor, Tiffany Ran, began at Northwest Asian Weekly as one of Nguyen’s interns.
She started writing for the Weekly, and she won awards for her in-depth coverage of community news and features.
“Northwest Asian Weekly was my first journalism internship. It was also the first paper that I started writing for. This paper was not just my start in journalism, but also my start living in Seattle. I’m really honored to get this job, and I have big shoes to fill. I see my journey with this paper as having come full circle, and I’m very excited about learning the inner workings of Northwest Asian Weekly on a whole new level,” said Ran.
Ran brings her experiences, having been both an intern and a reporter for the paper, to her position as editor. Ran is also the first Chinese American editor at the paper in the last 30 years, and is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.
“I didn’t deliberately want to hire a Chinese American editor. We had about 20 applicants. Tiffany has more experience with our paper, so I am comfortable working with her,” said Assunta Ng.
Ran aims to guide writers and interns to be better writers for the paper, and to advocate for the community.
“The Asian community here may not be as large as the ones in New York and Los Angeles, but I’ve come to find that the community here is so empowered, resourceful, and their voices are strong. I want the paper to continue our goal of representing this community’s voice and diversity,” said Ran.
“When I first started as an intern, I was focused on being a better writer. Stacy and Assunta provided that supportive space for me to grow as a writer and to examine subjects that are less often covered in newspapers. Their support has helped me see that truly representing the voice of a community means bringing forth the untold stories and presenting new forms of diversity beyond just race and class. My goal for the paper is to continue providing this supportive space for our writers as well as a thorough representation of all that the local API community has to offer.”
Nguyen intends to stay close to the paper, visiting the staff on press days, keeping in touch with the writers, and briefing Ng on her progress.
“I plan to stay involved with Northwest Asian Weekly in some way,” said Nguyen. “I have these fantasies of becoming a reporter for the paper. Look for my byline!” (end)