By Vivian Nguyen
Northwest Asian Weekly
With the Seattle Chinese Post (SCP)’s and Northwest Asian Weekly (NWAW)’s print operations coming to an end, we asked our community what that means to them.
Here are their responses:
“Because I live in Japantown and I don’t speak an Asian language, NWAW is the publication that lets me know what’s going on in the International District. I can read articles about proposed community changes and upcoming meetings about them, and then actually go to them, voice my opinion, and connect with other people because I read about it in the paper. NWAW lets me feel connected to my community, and I like to feel connected to where I live.”
— Lisa Lance
“We know people who don’t have internet connection or smartphones. With the [print edition] going away, how does this affect people who don’t have digital resources but want to stay informed? If it weren’t for people like (publisher) Assunta who provide unbiased information about the neighborhood, there’s a lot of people who wouldn’t be informed but still want to know what’s going on. Now they’ll have to go to public libraries or find alternative resources to stay educated and try to make the community better.”
— Charlie Martin
“It’s a big loss for us because we get a lot of our communication from NWAW. We always hustle down to restaurants like Honey Court just to pick up the paper because it’s such easy access. The paper’s annual feature about where to go and what to play in the International District was also huge for featuring us. [The print edition] is going to be missed.”
— Cindy Martin
“I was saddened to learn that an era was beginning to pass in Seattle’s International District and Chinatown [when] Assunta informed me that she was shutting down most of her newspapers. However, I was so pleased when she told me she would continue her presence in the community by maintaining the online version of NWAW—the unsinkable Assunta Ng.”
— Charles J. Herrmann
“Sadly, I think the big losers in the transition are older readers. There is comfort in holding a newspaper while reading the news combined with a tendency to read deeper into most stories. I don’t like online news formats because I scan rather than read [instead of] digest and consider as I do with a print story. Perhaps it’s my age plus a habit built over years, but print-in-hand makes a big difference. Nevertheless, while I understand the need for a change, I cannot embrace it. I am thankful for the print version of NWAW, and I will miss it.”
— John Kees
“I feel terrible about [losing the print editions] because NWAW and SCP was a bilingual paper serving the International District and beyond. With the SCP, I know that new immigrants and refugees rely on it because they can read news in their own printed languages versus going online to get their news. We lose the communication that’s so badly needed in our community.”
— Frank Irigon
“The newspapers captured the hopes, dreams, and accomplishments of the community over the decades. Their vision, leadership, and hard work made a tremendous impact by keeping the community informed, enabling our voices to be heard, and holding decision-makers accountable. CISC will miss the print editions, which are essential sources of information for readers of traditional Chinese or without internet access.”
— Michael Itti
“I will miss having something to read in hand, when I travel or am not sitting in front of a computer. I like seeing the story in print and the photographs by turning a page, rather than scrolling and looking at a screen. I like having a photo or headline catch my attention and raise my interest to read further. I enjoy having a paper I can put down and come back to, without having to fire up an electronic device.”
— Bettie Luke
“I will always remember all of the lifelong friendships that I made with the SCP and NWAW staff and reporters. They’ve all taught me so much about our community, myself, and the news business. And I want to shout out Assunta, the best and most meaningful mentor of my life. She modeled conviction, strength, and an extreme commitment to and love of community. She is a tireless defender of APIs and an uplifter of all our stories. We are so lucky to have this motherf**king champ in our corner.”
— Stacy Nguyen
“I’ve been reading SCP since it was first published and I like to hold the paper in my hands. I’m used to it. But with the [print issues] ending, it’s strange. I have no choice now—I have to read it online.
For young people, this shouldn’t be a problem. But for older people, they might have issues. Especially older people from Asia. They go to yum cha, to restaurants like mine. Everybody reads the newspaper when they come here.
SCP has been in Chinatown for almost 40 years. They’ve done a lot of great things for our community like reporting on news, raising awards, and speaking out on our behalf.
I’m really thankful for Assunta, George, and the staff. Thank you to everyone.”
— Harry Chan
“What’s important is to keep a community resource like the NWAW alive even if it means adopting a different platform. Congratulations on 41 years of publication and here’s to 41 more!”
— Lori Matsukawa
“This is going to be a great loss for the community because SCP has played such a vital role in delivering information to the immigrant community. I salute Assunta’s efforts and persistence throughout the years in supporting the immigrant community.”
— Hueiling Chan
“NWAW’s dedication to covering the news and issues impacting AAPI communities and the CID and making it linguistically accessible has made them a long-trusted resource for many community members ACRS serves. The discontinuation of the printed paper will be a loss for many of our older community members who primarily read the paper. We hope to encourage those folks to enroll in our digital literacy classes, so they can continue reading the NWAW online and stay connected to their communities.”
— Liza Javier