Ka Leo hires two staff members to produce monthly Hawaiian-language content

Ka Leo O Hawaii, the student newspaper at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, is hiring an editor and a writer to publish stories entirely in the Hawaiian language. The new positions will produce one monthly story in Olelo Hawaii, marking the first time the publication has dedicated specific staff roles to this format since the 1990s.

Editor-in-Chief Dwight Byrum stated that the initiative aims to make the magazine what it should be. He said the goal is to give writers from diverse backgrounds a chance to become the voice of their communities. Byrum noted that excluding Olelo Hawaii from a publication in Hawaii felt like a crime.

The hired editor and writer will pitch, write, and edit their own stories. These pieces will appear in the print magazine once a month. An English version of each story will be published online. The print edition will include a QR code linking readers to the website.

Managing Editor Elle Vincioni clarified that the new hires will not translate existing stories from other reporters. They are expected to write an English summary but have the option to provide a full translation. Vincioni said the writers will choose how to handle the translation due to the cultural nuance in Hawaiian. She added that the positions will not limit the staff to covering only Hawaiian rights or land issues. The writers will have the ability to cover any topic they choose.

The publication’s history with the language dates back to 1990. The student activist group Make Pono Lahui Hawaii, also known as the Hawaiian Student Liberation Union, demanded that Ka Leo print in Olelo Hawaii. The editorial board initially denied the request, citing that the paper was an English-medium publication. The group protested by halting distribution trucks and removing newspapers from stands. The dispute ended with an agreement to print a weekly column in Hawaiian starting in 1991.

Michael Tsai, who served as city editor in 1991, recalled that the paper published an editorial column written by Hawaiian Studies students. An English translation ran alongside the Hawaiian text for a period. Tsai noted that there was debate about whether the translation diluted the Hawaiian version. He said those efforts were discontinued after then-Editor-in-Chief Mark Takai’s term ended.

Questions remain about the qualifications required for the new positions. Jordan Kalawai'a Nunies, a graduate teaching assistant in Hawaiian Studies, suggested that applicants should have completed at least three years of Hawaiian language classes at the university. He recommended that letters of recommendation from Hawaiian language or Hawaiian Studies professors be part of the application process. Byrum said he and Vincioni will train the new hires personally. The publication's cultural advisor will review the applicants to ensure their writing respects the language.

Byrum has one semester remaining at the university. He said Vincioni will help pass the initiative to the next editor. Vincioni said the leadership team wants to establish that Ka Leo is a bilingual newspaper, following the example of 19th-century Nuppepa. She said the goal is to move past the publication's controversial history with Hawaiian students.