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They Call Us The Year of the Horse

Overview

Shownote

Highlights

Transcript

Chapters

Pins

They Call Us The Year of the Horse

They Call Us Bruce

Feb 17
They Call Us Bruce

They Call Us Bruce

Feb 17
OverviewShownoteHighlightsTranscriptChaptersPins

Shownote

Jeff and Phil ring in the Lunar New Year and welcome journalist Kimmy Yam to talk about trial runs, fresh starts, and the Year of the Horse. They discuss the unfortunate and untimely shutdown of NBC Asian America -- and the loss of representation, trust, and cultural power; the incredible depth of reporting and coverage of the Asian American community that Kimmy was able accomplish during her tenure at NBC; and what the future looks like now for authentic and sustained news coverage of marginalized communities. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of the new year. This episode is sponsored by Chinese Republicans [https://www.roundabouttheatre.org/get-tickets/2025-2026-season/chinese-republicans], a new play from Roundabout Theatre Company.

Highlights

As the Lunar New Year ushers in themes of renewal and reflection, this episode centers on resilience in Asian American journalism—what it takes to tell authentic stories, who gets to tell them, and what’s lost when dedicated platforms vanish.
09:37
Covering Asian American topics is not a 'fluffy beat'—it demands the same rigor as any major news issue.
12:49
Accurate and sensitive reporting with a point of view can be objective
19:25
NBC Asian America was a bridge between establishment journalism and ethnic media, uplifting Asian American stories and getting them noticed by non-Asians
40:58
Much of what's on TikTok is untrustworthy and conspiracy theories run rampant
47:19
99 Ranch in Westwood hit by a car, killing three and injuring seven
50:27
The news industry embraced me as a weird goth kid, giving me confidence as a journalist
53:36
Kimmy misses her editorial team after the shutdown

Chapters

What does it really take to build Asian American journalism that lasts?
00:00
Why pretending to be neutral hurts Asian American communities
12:49
What NBC Asian America’s shutdown reveals about who gets covered—and why it matters
19:25
Can baseball, TikTok, and a health scare help us rebuild trust in truth?
34:53
When your grocery store becomes unsafe: What do communal spaces owe us?
47:19
Who am I when my byline disappears?
50:27
How do we keep showing up—for each other, and for the story?
53:36

Transcript

Kimmy Yam: less tired, more angry, that's what we need. Phil Yu: Phil, hello and welcome to another edition of they call us bruce, an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in asian america in the year of the horse. Jeff Yang: I'm Phil Yu and I'...