NAM Project Sparks Collaborative Coverage of Veterans

* An African-American soldier in the Iraqi desert learns that her son has been killed in a gang shooting in South L.A.

* A Chinese-American sergeant loses his legs to a roadside bomb in Iraq and comes home to try to succeed at Cal State Fullerton

* A Latino soldier has to fight for his veteran benefits after the Army fails to provide a copy of his discharge papers

These and other stories are emerging from a New America Media (NAM) initiative that is bringing together ethnic media, journalism schools and mainstream dailies to cover the complex issue of soldiers returning home from war. The collaborative project, funded with an MF grant and coordinated by veteran editor Sharon Rosenhause, brings together Sing Tao Daily, La Opinion, Our Weekly and the Los Angeles Daily News, in an effort to build on the growing willingness of newsrooms to collaborate with one another in coverage of complex issues. In the Fall of 2009, this project will partner with Arizona State University to explore the stories of Native American veterans returning to Arizona.

To see links to the Los Angeles coverage, including a video featuring the work of Sing Tao reporter Charles Ding, click here:
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_alt_category.html?category_id=587