ELAINE QUIJANO ANCHORS THE HOUR-LONG SPECIAL FEATURING ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS WITH ASIAN AMERICAN NEWSMAKERS AND NEW REPORTING FROM WEIJIA JIANG

THE SPECIAL STREAMS ON CBSN ON MARCH 31 AT 6:00 PM, ET

March 30, 2021 – CBS News presents ASIAN AMERICANS BATTLING BIAS: CONTINUING CRISIS, a new hour-long special exploring the ongoing rise in discrimination against Asian Americans. The special features updated reporting and two roundtable discussions with Asian American newsmakers and thought leaders on the pandemic’s effects on Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.

The special will stream live on CBSN, CBS News’ 24/7 streaming news service, on Wednesday, March 31 at 6:00 PM, ET, and will re-air at 8:00 PM, ET and 12:00 AM, ET. It will also air on Smithsonian Channel on Sunday, April 4 at 10:00 PM, ET/PT.

Produced by CBS News’ Race & Culture Unit for CBSN, the special is anchored by CBSN’s Elaine Qujiano and produced and reported by a team of Asian American journalists at CBS News. It features new reporting from CBS News Senior White House Correspondent Weijia Jiang, and builds on the original reporting and interviews from last fall in ASIAN AMERICANS: BATTLING BIAS, which streamed on CBSN on Oct. 9.

“CBS News has been at the forefront of coverage of violence against Asian Americans across the country,” said Alvin Patrick, Executive Producer of CBS News’ Race & Culture Unit. “This newly updated one-hour special features commentary and insight from leading voices in the Asian American community. It is in these moments of national events that CBS News delivers deep and impactful reporting that helps inform our nation. The rise in anti-Asian hate across the country is a story that requires our attention, and we aim to give the audience the context and most up-to-date facts.”

“CBSN has been focused on providing in-depth coverage of the continued rise in discrimination against Asian Americans since it began, and we will continue to deliver this important reporting to our viewers with tomorow’s special and beyond,” said Darius Walker, Senior Vice President and Senior Executive Producer, CBSN.

Two roundtable discussions, led by Quijano, will feature guests including actors Olivia Munn and Daniel Dae Kim, Rise founder and CEO Amanda Nguyen, Stop AAPI Hate co-founder Russell Jeung, and chef Melissa King; and dancer and podcast host Cheryl Burke, journalist Helen Zia, actors Tzi Ma and Jennifer Cheon Garcia, and filmmaker, author and chef Eddie Huang. See previews from the interviews with Munn, Dae Kim, Ma, Cheon Garcia, Jeung and Burke.

Jiang’s new reporting will include the tragic shootings of six Asian Americans in the Atlanta area, the increase in random anti-Asian attacks across the country in recent months and the political push from the White House and Congress to address these issues. Jiang delivered incisive coverage of the Trump administration’s response to COVID-19 as the pandemic tightened its grip on the country. Her reporting extended beyond the briefing room to include pieces like a March 2020 story looking at the early worrisome signs of discrimination and racism affecting Asian American businesses in the United States. Jiang’s steady stream of coverage on the Biden administration’s response to the pandemic has been coupled with poignant reports across multiple broadcasts looking at how the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities have been left reeling after the recent attacks.

The special also includes prior reports from CBS News Correspondent Nancy Chen and Quijano, who has recently interviewed several Asian American political leaders on CBSN’s daily politics show “Red & Blue” about the rise in racism impacting Asian Americans across the country.

CBSN is available live 24/7 via CBSNews.com and on all CBS News mobile and connected TV apps.

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