VOA News | Wednesday, October 30, 2024 
New York media outlet connects immigrants with news and resources

New York — On a drizzly day in New York’s Chinatown, journalist April Xu suggested stopping at a bakery for a snack. “But not Fay Da,” she said, referring to a bakery on the nearby corner. Xu doesn’t go to Fay Da Bakery anymore. Not since she reported on how New York’s largest Chinese bakery chain had allegedly stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars in wages from its employees. Many people feel connected to the famous bakery, Xu told VOA. “When they saw the news, they were shocked,” she said. In April, the bakery agreed to a $940,000 settlement to resolve claims by former and current employees. It was a big story — the kind that the nonprofit media outlet Documented, where she works, likes to tell. Under-covered stories on issues such as wage theft and housing are the focus of this immigrant-focused news outlet. With immigration a polarizing issue in the U.S. presidential election, the news outlet finds itself balancing its typical coverage with debunking false claims. As racist, anti-immigrant rhetoric is pushed by the far-right, Documented’s team sees their local coverage of immigration as crucial. The inspiration for Documented came from dissatisfaction with how mainstream media often covered immigration, said co-founder Mazin Sidahmed. Born in Sudan, Sidahmed worked for The Guardian in New York and other media before helping set up his own…Read more