Engaging Filipino Communities in Juneau, Alaska with KTOO

Workers with the Special Ballot Reception and Custody Group receive ballots at the Philippine Consulate General office in San Francisco. (Photo from the Republic of the Philippines, Philippine Consulate General, San Francisco)

“For hundreds of years, Filipinos have made their marks in communities across Alaska but have largely been excluded from its history — and especially in news media. KTOO is changing that.

We are working with America Amplified, a national collective of public media organizations bringing visibility to underrepresented communities. Through this program, we’re leveling up our community engagement work and focusing on sharing stories for people, not just about them.” — KTOO, Sharing stories for Filipinos in Alaska

KTOO’s Shayne Nuesca told us what they’ve learned from their project.

Tell us who you are, and share a brief summary of the reporting project?

I’m Shayne Nuesca, the director of content strategy for KTOO in Juneau, Alaska but I’m based in Anchorage. Our project centers on Filipino communities in Juneau and across Alaska — it’s something I feel close to personally because I’m Filipino American and grew up in the state. We talked to people who voted in the 2022 Philippine national elections and building connections with people in other fields like health care, public service and more.

How did community engagement inform your reporting? 

While there is a lot of focus on the Philippine national elections, and its impact on Filipinos in Alaska, that isn’t all that Filipinos we’ve talked to want to talk about. People in Alaska don’t really know about our history in this state and how much we’ve contributed to our communities, and that is one area we’re exploring.

There was also an emphasis on giving people an understanding that there are nuances to our identity, including that beyond being Filipino, we have our regional identities. Our first story for this project actually illuminated that. Our reporter talked to people behind an episode of the kids’ TV show “Molly of Denali” that centered on a character’s Kapampangan identity. Kapampangans are people who come from the Philippine province of Pampanga. It’s not often that we see that kind of specificity when talking about Filipino identities in media. Usually, we’re all lumped together.

How did you build trust in the community you were reporting on?

Going into this, I obviously had a better understanding than my colleagues of the Filipino community and our values, and those are at the top of my mind when I’m reaching out to people. But to answer the question, I’ve kept an open door. People can email me, call me or message me anytime they want.

Alaska’s small, and the Filipino community can be pretty tightknit. So if people ask me about my background, my family or who I’m related to that they might know, I answer them. It helps build a connection and hopefully sharing a little bit about myself helps them open up too.

I’ve also been honest about making mistakes and calling myself out for them. It takes an emotional toll because I’m in this community, but I want to do right by my people so I’m — truly — willing to meet them where they are.

How are you bringing this reporting back to the community?

It sounds basic, but we’ve sent people links to the stories they were part of and even added audio to the web story so they can listen back. It’s that simple, and it’s one way to leave the door open, let people know they can reach out to you anytime and keep that relationship going. Some people I’ve talked to haven’t been part of a story or listening session yet, but they’re interested in the project. So by keeping them in the loop, hopefully, they stay interested in what we’re doing and reach out to us if they want to be part of a story in the future or have ideas for one.

What lessons do you take away from this project in terms of strengthening your engagement?

What you think might be important or interesting may not serve your community the way you think it might. If you really want your journalism to be impactful, you have to first be willing to hear from the people you want it to impact. Follow the threads they present you with and close the loop.

I’ve also felt a lot of pressure with all of our reporting on my community. I’ve been on the front line of all of this engagement. But for KTOO to learn how to truly engage with Filipinos in Alaska, they can’t rely on me to carry all of that work. And I think they’re learning that. I’m just one person in Alaska’s Filipino community and no two experiences are the same. I’m still learning about us too.