Portia Li

Portia Li (李秀蘭; Lǐ Xiù Lán) was until 2020 a senior reporter in the Millbrae, California office of the World Journal, the largest[1] Chinese-language newspaper in the United States.[2][3] Li is known for the 2001 expose of a Chinatown extortion ring.[2] She has also reported on the 2002 SARS (bird flu) crisis and the 2015 Ellen Pao gender discrimination lawsuit.[4][5]

After 33 years at World Journal, in 2020 Li founded the weekly Chinese-English bilingual Wind Newspaper / 風報, covering the San Francisco region. Li serves as publisher and editor.[6][7][8]

Biography

Li, a native of Hong Kong, is the daughter of a Hong Kong businessman. After graduating from journalism school in Taiwan, she worked for three years for Hong Kong's largest daily newspaper Oriental Daily News. Li came to the US in 1984, continued her education with a master's degree from Utah State University, and started reporting in San Francisco for the World Journal in 1986.[8] She was one of the speakers at the Ascend conference sponsored by the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association (APAPA), the Asian Studies Department of the City College of San Francisco, the Japan Policy Research Institute and the Center on the Pacific Rim at USF, and the Stanford Center for East Asia Studies.[2][9][10] Li has twice been awarded for her journalism by the Northern California Chinese Media Association[11][12] and the Society for Professional Journalists.[13]

Investigative and campaigning journalism

A Wall Street Journal leader column described Li as one of the "firebrand journalists" of the American ethnic press.[2] Among the stories she has investigated was a series of fires in San Francisco in 2001 that destroyed restaurants owned by ethnic-Chinese businessmen. According to the Wall Street Journal, Li's interview with one of the owners who informed her that gang members had demanded protection money and her subsequent reports identifying gang links to the arson generated tips leading to the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrest of several suspects on charges of extortion. San Francisco Police Chief Fred Lau said, "Portia was going 120 miles an hour," during a press conference, "We said, 'Hey, maybe this [her investigation] is something that people are interested in.'"[2]

Li is active in highlighting the issue of Chinese ethnic discrimination to Chinese communities worldwide in articles published by the World Journal. According to the Wall Street Journal column, Li raised questions about racial bias in her articles on behalf of Rep. David Wu, a Democrat from Oregon who was denied entry to the U.S. Energy Department by guards who questioned his nationality. She also challenged an inflammatory editorial likening the Chinese-American physicist Wen Ho Lee to "Fu Manchu". During his investigation, she published many articles described as helping to "galvanize the Chinese-American community". "Portia was way out in front," stated Policy Director of Chinese for Affirmative Action Ted Wang.[2]

Reporters and editors from three Chinese-language American newspapers, including Li, received an apology in 2007 by then presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton for an apparent snub at a fund raiser when the reporters were considered "foreign press".[14]

In 2015 Li covered the gender discrimination case brought by the Chinese-American executive Ellen Pao. According to Li it was one of the World Journal's top stories, measured by hits on the paper's website.[4]

References
  1. Carol Hymowitz (2014-10-27). "One Percenters Drop Six Figures at Long Island Mall". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 2015-03-29.
  2. Tam, Pui-Wing (July 31, 2001). "New Voices: Ms. Li's Journalistic Crusade Is Epitome of Thriving Ethnic Press in U.S." Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2015-03-28.
  3. "Newspaper war in the Bay Area - Ming Pao becomes 6th Chinese-language daily -". SFGate. 3 August 2004. Retrieved 2015-03-22.
  4. Weise, Elizabeth (March 17, 2015). "Ellen Pao trial is big news in China". USA Today. Retrieved 2015-03-22.
  5. "What To Do About Bird Flu". Alternet. Retrieved 2015-03-28.
  6. Chan, Nicholas (2020-09-01). "Longtime local journalist launching a newspaper of her own". The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  7. Chin, Sharon (2021-04-15). "Unique Bilingual Newspaper Focuses on Bay Area Chinese Americans". KPIX Channel 5 News. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  8. Chávez, David John (July 19, 2021). "Wind Newspaper: A free, bilingual weekly with a staff of one makes a difference in San Francisco". Quill. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  9. "Asian American Political Clout: A Post-Election Analysis". AsianWeek. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-28.
  10. "密市表彰本報記者李秀蘭 (Millbrae Honors Journalist Portia Li)". World Journal. October 15, 2008. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  11. "北加華人傳媒協會頒獎 世界日報大豐收 (...Chinese Media Association Awards...)". Wuhan University Overseas Alumni Foundation. 2008. Archived from the original on 2010-12-10. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  12. "第19屆NCCMA獲獎作品及獲獎者名單 (19th NCCMA prize-winning articles and people)". Northern California Chinese Media Association. 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  13. LaHood, Lila (February 3, 2021). "SPJ NorCal Honors 2020 Excellence in Journalism Award Winners" (Press release). Society of Professional Journalists: Northern California. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  14. Rooney, Katie (2007-09-21). "The Screwups of Campaign '08: Hillary and the Foreign Media". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
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