In Which We Come Full Circle
TUESDAY JUNE 12, 2012
How entirely fitting that this summer’s 12th annual Community Journalism Roadshow kicks off with a Chinese connection in the Old North State.
Today China comes to the U.S., bringing the Chinese-American Community Journalism Project full circle.
I am hosting Zhou Chen, or “Mr. Joe,” of the Xinmin Evening News of Shanghai, on a visit to Publisher Bill Horner III and his Sanford Herald, a Paxton Media Group daily community paper, featured in Prof. Chen Kai’s new book on great N.C . community papers (An Introduction to Community Newspapers in the U.S.).
That’s how Zhou heard about my lecture series in Beijing in May – and how he learned about the Sanford Herald.
Remember “Mr. Joe” flew all the way from Shanghai to Beijing just to meet me back in May. And how we connected so thoroughly, even though we had to communicate via translator – we both knew, we both “bleed ink.”
Zhou is visiting his daughter, Kate, who just graduated from Burlington Christian High School as an international exchange student, living with a host family in Whitsett. N.C., just east of Greensboro off I-40. Kate, fluent in English after having studied in N.C. for two years, will translate for us on this cultural and journalistic exploration.
Who knows what adventures await?