Parkchester Times, NYP, others receive 2021 City elections reporting fellowship awards

Two journalists at Parkchester Times and New York Parrot, Mutiu Olawuyi and Akeem Alao, have been enlisted among the 30 recipients of the 2021 Elections Reporting Fellowship awards

This was disclosed in a statement released on Wednesday by the Center for Community Media.

According to CCM, the two journalists and twenty eight others will write in nine languages and cover the stories of more than 15 communities – including African, Arab, Bangladeshi, Black, Caribbean, Chinese, Filipino, Haitian, Indian, Irish, Jewish, Korean, Latino, Nepalese, Pakistani and Russian – across the tri-state area and around the world.

"The group includes journalists serving local geographic communities from Bushwick to Parkchester, and Brooklyn to Westchester," CCM said.

"Over the next four months, with generous funding from the Revson Foundation, these fellows will produce in-depth reportage, investigations, and explainers with graphics.

"We are proud to support their efforts to keep their audiences informed about how to vote in this year’s crucial local and citywide elections," it added.

CCM explained that the fellowship would expand and deepen community media’s coverage of local and citywide elections.

"The journalists can inform New Yorkers who are often excluded and marginalized in local politics about how and where to vote," CCM stated in its statement.

The journalists include Mutiu Olawuyi, the chief editor and senior reporter at the Parkchester Times, Akeem Alao Babatunde a senior correspondent at Parkchester Times, Mohammad Zainal Abedin of The Runner News, María del Carmen Amado of Westchester Hispano, Josh Barker representing New York Amsterdam News, Lev Borschevsky V Novom Svete and Ben Brachfeld, a Brooklyn-based freelance reporter who covers politics, policy, and governance in New York City and State.

Also on the list are Lotus Chau of Sing Tao Daily, Parveen Chopra of The South Asian Times, Angie Damlakhi of Allewaa Alarabi Newspaper, Victoria Falk, of Caribbean American Weekly, Mohammad Farrukh of Weekly Awaz and a freelancer, Javier Gochis Illescas.

Others are Chunxiang Jin of World Journal, Andrew Karpan of Bushwick Daily, Hannah Lane of Bushwick Daily, Gary (Baruch) Lytle of The Jewish Press, Peter McDermott of Irish Echo, Linda Nwoke of The Immigrant’s Journal, a publication of Caribbean American Weekly, Olayemi Odesanya of OneVoiceFM, Kishor Panthi of Khasokhas, Garry Pierre-Pierre of The Haitian Times, Ricky Rillera of the Philippine Daily Mirror, Indrajit S. Saluja of The Indian Panorama, Seungjae Seo of The Korea Times and Korea Daily, Jason Smith of Impacto Latino, Elaine Velie of Bushwick Daily, Gery Vereau of Reporte Hispano, AJ Woodson of Black Westchester Magazine, Mohsin Zaheer of Urdu News.