ABSTRACT
Ethnic media have always served as a sign of societal evolution. As media created for members of immigrant and ethnic minority groups, ethnic media are a clear signal of social change due to increased population diversity. Prior research has established that ethnic media serve multiple, distinctive roles for the communities that they serve. Ethnic media frequently provide newcomers with information to support their settlement experiences, including resources related to employment, housing, and education. WXC was among the first Chinese ethnic media to cover the Jimmy Kimmel Live! (JKL) controversy. WXC contains news items, themed online communities, and immigration-related, financial and advertising services. WXC users frequently placed Chinese and “Western” cultures in opposition in their comments and suggested the moral superiority of the former in response to the JKL incident. The early audience responses emphasizing cultural and ethnic distinctions set the foundation for subsequent WXC agenda setting and marketing.
