The DNC, dosas, and desi reporters covering the election

Welcome to Export Quality, your home for news by and about South Asian Americans and Canadians

For those of you who are new here, check out my intro issue!

It’s a big week in U.S. politics with the Democratic National Convention taking place this week in Chicago and I wanted to take this first real issue of the newsletter to highlight some of the politics coverage coming from South Asian American journalists/columnists and some reporting on our community and AAPI voters in general.

[A housekeeping note: I’ll never recommend anything in this newsletter I have not read, viewed, or heard. I may not always agree with it or even like it, but I think that’s important, too - sometimes.]

This issue is dedicated to Amma’s Kitchen, a rare in-District and proper South Indian restaurant in the Georgetown neighborhood whose demise many of us including my brother and I, still mourn. I like to imagine it would have catered at least one Inaugural ball had they still been around - the most delicious one, of course.

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On to your reading/follow list:

I had taken a much-needed post-Trump administration break from reporting after Biden came into office in an effort to try some new things in journalism. However, the prospect of a dosa station and thair sadam (yogurt rice, for the uninitiated) making an appearance in the White House was too enticing to keep me away from a byline and the harrowing writer’s block associated with it. Truthfully though, I missed reporting for some twisted reason and the stories in my head are piling up. So, here’s my latest piece for Teen Vogue on model minorities, Usha, Kamala, and what I’ve taken to calling “practical hope.”

In the spirit of fellow Tamil girls FTW (and since VP is one of us too), give Sumi Somaskanda (Chief Anchor at BBC World; here’s her latest on Harris) and Abby Kuhathasan (Correspondent for CBC; here’s her report with a Republican pollster) a follow. Both have had excellent politics and other coverage and they always pronounce the Tamil names properly ;) Also, Deepa Shivaram of NPR, who signed on to cover Harris during her 2020 presidential bid and has been killing it keeping the nominee accountable on the campaign trail.

Team Zeteo: Mehdi Hasan and Prem Thakker are at the DNC this week and will certainly have coverage on stories about protests and the issue of Gaza most other news outlets will not.

Amna Nawaz is an amazing journalist, role model, and co-anchor of PBS NewsHour. You need to watch her reports on the daily about both the Harris and Trump campaigns.

Manu Raju of CNN is a staple on Capitol Hill and for good reason. He knows his stuff and also hosts “Inside Politics Sunday with Manu Raju.” 8a/11a ET.

Sahil Kapur is Senior National Political Reporter for NBC news and another familiar face on TV who will also be in Chicago this week. His latest: Facing setbacks, progressives focus on pragmatic goals for a Harris presidency

Sabrina Siddiqui of Wall Street Journal, a wonderful reporter who faced off with a mob of Modi supporters for simply doing her job in the White House press corps. For reference, when I was SAJA president I issued this statement of support.

Jeet Heer, national affairs correspondent for The Nation and host of the weekly Nation podcast, The Time of Monsters. His latest: Donald Trump Is Already Planting the Seeds of the Next Insurrection

Aditi Sangal and Harmeet Kaur are over at CNN this week, writing about turning up the volume on the Indian American vote.

Ali Velshi is chief correspondent for MSNBC (and on my parents’ television nearly every day:)) He is host of “Velshi”, Sat/Sun 10a-12p ET and "The Last Word" Fridays at 10p ET.

Farnoush Amiri is a badass reporter (and former SAJA colleague) over the Associated Press covering all things Congress. She’s also in Chicago this week. Her latest: How Tim Walz became beloved by young voters with a message that the GOP is ‘weird’

How South Asian American voters could help sway election - Shanelle Kaul with a great story from North Carolina for CBS News!

Asma Khalid is the White House correspondent at NPR. She also co-hosts The NPR Politics Podcast and recently talked about how Harris and Walz are gearing up for the DNC.

Zohreen Shah is a national correspondent for ABC News and was a former embedded reporter with VP Harris campaign in 2020. Her latest (but catch her on air more often!): Kamala Harris donors say early support made them ready to seize this moment

Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House Correspondent for USA TODAY. Her latest: Kamala Harris leans into her Indian, Black heritage to energize voters

Saurabh Datar, a data journalist at The New York Times, for his elections data stories. This piece from the winter on how the invisibility of Asian American voters in polling is changing is worth the read!

Sean Rameswaram is host of Vox’s Today, Explained podcast.

“I Will Not Be Silent:” Democratic Strategist on Harris’ Israel-Gaza Stance - Hari Sreenivasan for Amanpour & Co/PBS

NJ Desi voters cautiously optimistic about Harris - Ambreen Ali for Central Desi 

One woman’s mission to ensure elderly Korean immigrants in Atlanta register to vote - Lola Pak (@Sophia Qureshi) for 285 South 

Tim Walz's handling of George Floyd protests put in spotlight - Disha Raychaudhuri and Bianca Flowers for Reuters

College students voting in 2024 elections may encounter an obstacle: gerrymandered campuses - Anisha Kohli for Prism

South Asians rally behind Harris: ‘It’s like a tidal wave’ - Yash Roy for The Hill

Asian American Voters Could Be Key Swing Voters of 2024 - Amy Qin (who covers AAPI communities) for The New York Times

‘I’m Definitely Re-engaged:’ Harris Fuels Energy Among Georgia’s South Asian Voters - Isabelle Qian and Alex Pena

Kamala Harris energizes South Asian voters, a growing force in key swing states - Matt Brown for Associated Press

It’s my newsletter, so I’ll plug my own work just one more time! I was recently the Managing Editor/Mentor for 16 seasoned community media journalists chosen for the City University of New York + Center for Community Media’s Election Reporting fellowship. Here’s a selection of my Fellows’ politics reporting; stories you won’t find anywhere else, and a testament to the saying that ‘all politics is local.’

That’s all for now, but stay tuned for more elections coverage over the next few months! Did I miss adding you or your story? Just let me know by responding here or on Twitter.