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Journalists & the Tsunami Disaster of 2004

Tips & Thoughts by S. Mitra Kalita, SAJA President and Washington Post reporter
e-mail: mitra at desiwriter.com

WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 27, 2004: SAJA, South Asian Journalists Association, seeks to help journalists fairly and accurately cover the many angles of one of this catastrophe. News organizations might think, "We've done a story about how immigrant groups are raising money. What more can we say?" The answer is a lot. Victims span several countries and almost all of the major religions of the world: Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists. Some of the most severely affected areas (in Sri Lanka and Indonesia) have also been through decades of civil war - leading observers to question whether aid is being doled out fairly.

Need a stringer in Sonankuppam? Turn to SAJA's Freelance Forum at http://www.saja.org/freelance.html

Want to know what the LTTE stands for? Or what the difference between Hindu and Hindi are? Please use SAJA's Stylebook at http://www.saja.org/stylebook.html (see LTTE entry)

Looking for immigrant groups who are organizing aid and relief efforts? Or relatives still searching for loved ones? Check out SAJA's list of tsunami-related resources below.

Where to find South Indians/Sri Lankans in the US: Try contacting a local association of Sri Lankans (many are listed below). You can also call a Buddhist temple or mosque to see if they have any Sri Lankan worshipers, who might be able to lead you to a larger community. Many South Indians - referring to people from the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala - have immigrated in recent years as high-technology workers under a category of visa known as an H1-B. As a result, several high-tech companies have set up assistance efforts for tsunami victims.

Chances are also pretty high that if you have a South Asian commercial market in your city -- Jackson Heights in NYC, Devon Street in Chicago, Gerard Street in Toronto, Oak Tree Road in Edison, N.J., sections of Fremont and Berkeley in the Bay Area -- there will be people who know someone from one of the affected areas.

Also see the SAJA Sources Page for community leaders and other tips.