Legendary and pioneer news anchor Connie Chung will appear at Columbia University in New York on November 14 in a fundraiser for AsAmNews.

Her recently released memoir Connie details the struggles and triumphs of her storied groundbreaking career.

In 1993, she became the first Asian American to anchor an evening network newscast.

“I began working in 1970s, ‘69 actually, long time ago,” she said to ABC Nightline news anchor Juju Chang during a gala at the Asian American Journalists Association Convention in Austin, TX last month. “It was just men everywhere. Men were in the newsroom. They were my colleagues. They were the men that I competed with. Reporters and the people I covered in Washington, DC, all men at the White House, the State Department, Pentagon, Capitol Hill. Oh, my God, all men. So I found myself wondering, how do I navigate this? So I decided to become a guy. Why can’t I be a guy too? 

Chang seemed to agree with Chung’s own assessment of her career saying “What you may not know about her is she has the best sense of humor. She’s got a sailor’s mouth. She was able to navigate a very tricky time in broadcast television news, and a lot of it, a lot of her struggles. This is an unvarnished,unapologetic, unmitigatedly fabulous memoir.”

Chung appeared at AAJA to accept its Lifetime Achievement Award. She seemed genuinely touched by the award, as she soaked in the standing ovation from the hundreds of attendees at the gala. A tear drop or two seemingly  flowed slowly down her cheeks, although it’s hard to know for sure sitting in the audience.

Chung recounted to AsAmNews stories of fellow women journalists who took the long way to the studio rather than past the mailroom where a clerk would pat female journalists on the rear as they passed.

She also encountered her own share of racism.

“If you’re a person of color, you can’t write, you’re difficult and you’re always late,” she said to veteran New York reporter Ti-Hua Chang during an interview with AsAmNews.

But it went beyond her just being a minority. She said some co-workers and sources also honed in on her identity as an Asian American.

“We are seen as our stereotypes,” said the Washington D.C.-born Chung. “No matter where I was born. I’m Chinese and I’m proud of it, but everybody from the outside world can see it.”

Her parents had 10 children in China. She is the only one born in the U.S. 

While working as a correspondent in Washington, D.C., Chung lived with her parents and handed her paycheck over to support them.

Four of Chung’s siblings died while in their infancy in China, including all three brothers. 

“I was so into filial piety that my father gave me this mission. You know, ‘maybe you could carry on the name,’” she recalls him saying.

This is Chung’s third book, but the first one about herself. Her editor sent back the first draft saying she needed to share her inner thoughts about her life and career. 

That’s not something journalists are trained to do as they are often taught to be objective and to leave their personal feelings out of their news stories.

She describes the process of writing this book as a difficult one.

“It was actually very painful. Part of it was painful because of the bridging of things. Actually incidents that I wanted to forget or did forget and didn’t care to rehash.”

Chung’s editor wanted more from her.

“I was reporting about my life and she said in a memoir, you must tell how she feels. What we did as reporters, it was forbidden to tell how I felt about anything. I found that excruciating to describe how I felt.”

Chung will share her feelings on November 14 in a sitdown interview with Ti-Hua Chang at Columbia University in the Milbank Chapel. 25 W 120th St. New York, NY between Broadway & Amsterdam).

Tickets may be purchased here.

Subway riders can take the 1 train to 116th Street Columbia University.

All proceeds benefit AsAmNews to enhance our daily content. 

AsAmNews is published by the non-profit, Asian American Media Inc. Please support our fundraisers. 

Join us for a stimulating conference about issues that divide the Asian American communities. Our fundraiser Common Ground and the dinner after will be held October 26 at UC Berkeley.

Then purchase your tickets to Up Close with Connie Chung, America’s first Asian American to anchor a nightly network newscast. The in-depth conversation with Connie will be held November 14 at 7:30 at Columbia University’s Milbank Chapel in the Teacher’s College. All proceeds benefit AsAmNews.

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