Today we’d like to introduce you to Chenue Her.
Hi Chenue, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in a big Hmong family on the east side of St. Paul. I fell in love with storytelling at a young age because that’s just really a part of the Hmong culture. As kids, we heard stories from our elders. Pair that with my parents always having the local news on TV and I knew fairly early on that’s what I wanted to do.
I went to college in the Twin Cities. Immediately after graduation, I moved to Eugene, OR for my first reporting job. There, I got my feet wet and learned the ins and outs of the TV news industry. After a few years on the west coast, I moved to Virginia Beach. I spent four years covering major stories in Virginia before moving to Atlanta, GA to be a reporter for the NBC-affiliate there. Atlanta is where I took major leaps as a journalist. I covered major national stories from George Floyd to COVID-19 to the Atlanta spa shootings. I was also a part of the historic 2020 elections coverage.
From there, I took a leap of faith and took a morning anchor job at WOI-TV in Des Moines, IA, becoming the first and only Hmong male anchor in the United States. In just a year in Iowa, I’ve won an Upper Midwest Regional Emmy Award and the 2022 Asian American Journalist Association Community Impact Award.
I wouldn’t have made these career leaps without my incredible family and other close loved ones. My parents always told us growing up, no matter what we did, success was the only option. We grew up with refugee parents who were tough, resilient, and ambitious but also realized they faced certain barriers because they didn’t have the opportunities we had been born and raised in the United States. They pushed because they cared, and now as an adult, I recognize and admire that.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
My news journey has been exciting and fulfilling, but extremely challenging.
TV news isn’t filled with many people who look like me and with that comes unofficial “quotas” of how many AAPI journalists appear on the screen and what kind of box you’re willing to fit into land a job. It’s a common sentiment felt by my peers across the country who are all active members of the Asian American Journalist Association (AAJA). That’s why we do the work we do to raise awareness and try to create more opportunities for Black and brown journalists.
Over the last couple of years, I feel there’s been significant progress which has helped open the doors for me to be where I am now. But, I have groups like AAJA, NABJ, and NAHJ to thank for their endless work to ensure there’s a space for all journalists. Like with any industry, the goal is to leave it better than we found it.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a TV news anchor but I do much more than just “read” on TV. I get to come in every morning and look at the entire show and contribute to scripts, editing, editorial decisions, etc. Then, I often times will still turn stories for our station. I have a fiery and competitive passion when it comes to journalism and especially the stories I do.
Right now, I’m known for my accomplishment as the first Hmong male news anchor in America, but that recognition extends to my reporting on immigrant and refugee communities in Iowa. I’ve made it a mission of mine to share my platform with those communities. I’m proud to be visible as not just a journalist, but a *Hmong* journalist because I hope Hmong kids see there’s a space for them in media.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
In the next 5-10 years, I see myself still in TV news and using my platform as a journalist to make a difference in communities of color and in immigrant and refugee communities. I hope to continue being a mentor to young, up-and-coming journalists just as veterans helped me get to where I am.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.weareiowa.com/article/about-us/team-bios/chenue-her-local-5-news-woitv-anchor-good-morning-iowa-reporter/524-5a3d8d4a-ec8c-431d-be77-242955f05c00
- Instagram: instagram.com/chenueher
- Facebook: facebook.com/chenueher
- Twitter: twitter.com/chenueher
Image Credits
Chenue Her
