2025 Media Award Winner
Liza Ramrayka for KALW Public Radio is a 2025 recipient of the Media Award. During and after lockdown, the media had focused on youth mental health – the impact of hours of online schooling and the lack of social interaction. But it struck me that AANHPI (American Asian, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander) seniors were a complex group that had been overlooked and underserved. With families out all day, they often experienced loneliness, anxiety from hate crime, and language barriers that stop them accessing mental health services. The stigma attached to mental health issues is an additional – and huge – barrier. In a three-part series for KALW Public Radio, supported by USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism’s California Impact Fund, I investigated the need for systemic change in mental healthcare for Bay Area AANHPI seniors, from culturally-tailored services to more investment in a bilingual/bicultural workforce. Aired on KALW’s award-winning magazine show Crosscurrents in May 2024, this deeply-reported series came to life through extensive community engagement leading to trust building and authentic storytelling, to offer solutions-based reporting.
Disclosure information not submitted.
Friday, October 17, 2025
11:15 AM - 12:45 PM US EST