Sandy Close
American journalist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alexandra Close (born ca. 1943) is an American journalist and the founder of Ethnic Media Services (now American Community Media).[1][2][3] She was the executive director of Pacific News Service from 1974 to 2017 and of New America Media from 1996 to 2017.[4][5]
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Alexandra Close | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | 1942 or 1943 (age 82–83) |
| Other names | Sandy |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley (B.A.) |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Organization | Ethnic Media Services |
| Partner | Franz Schurmann |
| Children | 2 |
Early life and education
Close received her BA from the University of California, Berkeley in 1964.[6]
Career
Close worked as the China editor in Hong Kong for the Far Eastern Economic Review in the mid-1960s.[7] Upon her return to the U.S. she co-founded Oakland-based newspaper The Flatlands.[8] She was also a weekly commentator for Morning Edition from 1984 to 1985.
In 1991, she founded Yo! Youth Outlook, a monthly magazine of youth writing and art, and in 1996, she co-founded The Beat Within, a weekly journal written by incarcerated youth.
She served as the executive director of Pacific News Service from 1974 to the publication's closing in 2017.[9] In 1996, she founded New America Media, which involved up to 3,000 ethnic news organizations in California, and served as its executive director until its closure in 2017.[10]
In 2018, Close founded Ethnic Media Services, a non-profit agency focused on developing cross-cultural journalism and marketing projects to promote inclusive public discourse.[11]
Close was a co-producer for the film Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien, which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) in 1996.[12]
Personal life
Close was married to the historian and Asian affairs scholar Franz Schurmann from 1968 until his death in 2010.[13]
Awards
- 2011 George Polk Award for Career Achievement [14]
- 2008 Ashoka Fellowship [15]
- 2006 Purpose Prize Fellowship[16]
- 1995 MacArthur Fellows Program[17]
Works
- "Ben Hur" Vs. "Titanic" -- Nature Replaced God in Film That Speaks to Environmental Age, JINN, 03-26-98
- "Fear and uncertainty in the era of change", National Civic Review, Volume 98 Issue 3, Pages 46 – 47[18]