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In an increasingly multicultural, multiethnic, and multilingual media environment, ethnic media are an important part of the public sphere, and the process in which ethnic discourse is produced deserves attention. This article advances Husband’s work on ethnic media as communities of practice by exploring ethnic media of young diaspora. Just as ethnic communities are heterogeneous across ethnic groups, depending on immigration history, demographics, and communication infrastructure, among other factors, ethnic media as communities of practice are never homogeneous and lineal practices. The case of Korean media in Vancouver and Los Angeles, one of the most rapidly growing ethnic media sectors in North America, suggests two new identities – cultural identity and institutional identity – in addition to the journalists’ subjective identities, which Husband discussed. These two identities that are specific to Korean media confirm diversity within communities of practice and suggest the variations to be considered in the broader discussion of ethnic media as communities of practice.

The ever widening gap in public discourse within a multicultural society is of concern. Among many factors, continuing and emerging practices of marginalization of ethnic minorities, ethnic media, and ethnic discourse in the media industries in Canada deserve attention. Parallel to the under-representation of ethnic minorities in mainstream media production and content, ethnic media organizations and the discourse they produce are equally under-represented in the media industries and public discourse. A recent new shift in this practice is the “instrumentalization of ethnic media”—that is, a strategic use of ethnic media as an instrument to serve the interests of stakeholders rather than of the general public. This commentary problematizes this new shift and calls for more research and policy attention.Un écart sans cesse grandissant dans le discours public au sein d’une société multiculturelle est préoccupant. En effet, entre autres facteurs, des pratiques continues et émergentes de marginalisation de minorités, médias et discours ethniques dans les industries des médias au Canada méritent une attention particulière. En plus d’une sous-représentation de minorités ethniques dans la production et le contenu des médias dominants, les organisations médiatiques ethniques et le discours qu’elles produisent sont aussi sujets à une sous-représentation. D’autre part, un développement récent de cette pratique est « l’instrumentalisation de médias ethniques », c’est-à-dire l’utilisation stratégique de médias ethniques comme instruments pour servir les intérêts de parties prenantes plutôt que du grand public. Cet article problématise ce développement et recommande davantage de recherche et d’attention politique.

The representation of women in so-called mainstream media has been well studied; however, less is known about this representation in ethnic media, especially in North America where the ethnic media sector is constantly growing. Ethnic media's unique news sourcing strategy -that is, a mix of news locally produced by local staff writers, news outsourced from local mainstream media, and news internationally imported from the country of origin -suggests that the underrepresentation of women in mainstream media can spill over to and be reproduced in ethnic media. A content analysis of Korean news media in Vancouver and Los Angeles finds an interesting interplay between the transnational effect and the local effect. That is, while a pervasive influence of mainstream media from the country of origin is evident (transnational effect), strong female leadership in the local community and the active roles of these leaders as news sources and actors contribute positively to overall representation of women (local effect).