A note from our team
Today, we’re excited to relaunch The Yappie after an almost two-year hiatus.
We’ve spent the past year speaking with experts and partners about the state of news coverage on Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. And we’ve been listening to readers, including nearly 400 of you who responded to our survey in November, on whether this endeavor is worth continuing. Among the key findings:
- 88% of you are dissatisfied with most news coverage about AAPI communities.
- 90% agree that news about Asian Americans is often inaccurate or oversimplified.
- 93% say it’s difficult to find reliable reporting on Asian Americans in government and politics.
These frustrations are why we launched The Yappie from our college dorm rooms in 2018. And if anything, the need for journalism that takes our community seriously is more urgent than ever. AAPIs already make up an influential share of voters, candidates, and elected officials, and we’re playing a role in the defining issues of our time, from civil rights to immigration to AI. At the same time, the ecosystem supporting AAPI journalism has gotten smaller, with the dismantling of outlets like NBC Asian America, newsroom layoffs, and doomerism about the spread of disinformation abound.
So ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, we’ve decided to bring The Yappie back. Here’s what’s new:
BETTER NEWSLETTERS: We’re relaunching our flagship briefing on AAPI power, politics, and influence, now renamed “Power Shift,” which will be published every Tuesday. Our Editor-in-Chief Shawna Chen will also helm “AAPI Nation,” a Friday roundup on the biggest stories shaping our communities. Both newsletters will be free to read at newsletters.theyappie.com.
NEW VOICES: We’re thrilled to have journalists William Tong and Hojung Lee join The Yappie team. They’ll co-author “Power Shift” and bring their own reporting and perspectives to our coverage.
- William’s reporting has appeared in the Dallas Morning News, Chicago Tribune and Raleigh News & Observer. He often covers stories about immigrant Asian Americans, including a retelling of the federal investigation and death of a prominent Chinese American scientist, a profile of an octogenarian Toisanese street performer, and an analysis of H-1B visa data to fact-check claims of immigrant fraud.
- Hojung’s writing about race, culture, and religion has been featured by outlets including Sojourners, The Christian Century, and the National Catholic Reporter, and her passion for AAPI activism is most evident in her debut essay collection: Tigerrabbit (New Degree Press, 2022).
A FRESH LOOK: We’ve given The Yappie’s website, newsletters, and social media accounts a complete visual overhaul, with a redesigned logo and brand identity developed by first-generation Vietnamese American designer Maddy Best.
OPEN CALL FOR FREELANCERS: In early 2027, we hope to expand our investments in original reporting and bring more freelance contributors into the fold. If you’re a journalist interested in paid opportunities, we encourage you to add your name to our freelancer database.
Here’s the deal: The Yappie is committed to remaining 100% independent, nonprofit, and funded by generous readers like you. We still believe in this work, but we only have about a year’s worth of funding to keep going. Our goal is to raise $100,000 before 2027 ends, and your support would give us the runway to publish without interruption and expand.
No matter what happens, we appreciate you for being with us as we enter our next chapter. If you have any questions, feedback, or ideas, we’d love to hear from you at [email protected]. We’ll do our best to keep going for as long as possible, and hope you enjoy what’s in store.
Thank you.
– Andrew Peng, Andrew Huang, and Shawna Chen
About The Yappie: The Yappie is an independent, nonprofit newsroom dedicated to tracking Asian American and Pacific Islander power, politics, and influence. Learn more at theyappie.com/about.
