Too many stories still left untold
There are many stories. Most of them remain untold.
Each year countless numbers of immigrants are coming to this country. Others have been immigrants and now are U.S. citizens. Each of them has a story. Some can tell you about a life when a dictator ruled their place of birth or about how they were a refugee fleeing the horrors of a war.
Reporters and editors are always searching for stories. But sometimes they don’t realize that it’s hidden right in their back door.
Take for instance, during each Memorial Day, there are many stories commemorating the Americans who fought in the past wars. But, you don’t necessarily see or read stories of the groups of minorities and immigrants who have fought in those wars, particularly Filipino-Americans.
In World War II, many Filipinos fought alongside American soldiers in the Philippines. In the most notable battle, the Battle of Bataan, they fought against Japanese soldiers to defend the Bataan peninsula. Although many Filipino and American soldiers were captured and forced to march up to 60 miles to prison camps, in what is now known as the Bataan Death March, a courageous battalion of Filipino and American soldiers risked their lives to save them. And, they were remarkably successful.
After the war ended, many Filipinos who survived and settled in the United States still had another fight. That is, their fight for veterans benefits.
Although there have been news reports about Filipino-Americans fighting for their veterans benefits, these news reports don’t tell the whole story of the rescues and the battles they fought for this country and why they deserve those benefits, only snippets of sound-bites here and there.
As journalists and editors, we still need to dig deeper to get to the heart of a story. Yes, there are deadline pressures and word restrictions, but these stories should not do a disservice to the people who lived to tell the stories and the readers who need to hear them.
-Gwendolyn Mariano