Both newspapers, with a combined readership of about 15,000 subscribers, is a survivor so far. "Assunta has gone after the community angle," says Ms. Judy Yu, the Seattle consultant. Indeed, the growth of Asian-language publications may signal a demand for stories and viewpoints that the bigger publications are not providing, says Lisa Chung, executive director of the Asian American Journalists Association in San Francisco. The Seattle Chinese Post covers local news angles that are often missed by bigger Chinese dailies with regional editions published out of San Francisco. But it also has lots of national and overseas news. The Northwest Asian Weekly, by contrast, focuses on Northwest news and Asian Americans. With a full-time staff of less than 10 people for both papers, Ng keeps busy writing as well as managing. "I'm always trying to do a lot of things at once," she says, grabbing her camera to take news photos during her lunch break.

Is the growth of non-English media threatening the cohesiveness of American society? Assunta Ng, publisher of both papers, thinks the answer is no, and she devotes much of her energy to proving that proposition true. "I think it's absolutely essential to appreciate diversity in order for America to survive," she says. Different races and cultures "all have something to contribute," and in order for them to do so, their community identity must be nourished and maintained, she says. Ms. Ng, born in China and a resident of the United States since 1971, supports the idea that all US citizens should be able to speak English. But Americans should also "appreciate the person who is able to speak another language." Asian-language publications help immigrants become acclimated to their new culture as well as stay in touch with their roots, observers say. Ng sees both newspapers as helping to foster a sense of community among Washington State's far-flung Asian population so that in turn, that community can contribute more to the larger society.

The Northwest Asian Weekly is widely distributed in the King County area including the Chinatown/International District. It is also available in many of the major King County and public libraries throughout Washington. Some of the distribution sites are: West Seattle - South Seattle Community College, Bank of America, Asian grocery stores. Eastside - Uwajimaya, Bellevue Community College, Tower Books, East Ocean Restaurant, Noble Court Restaurant, Ming Place Restaurant, Tokyo Restaurant (Factoria) and many other Asian restaurants, Mercer Island Park & Ride, Bellevue Way Park & Ride. Broadway - Seattle Central Community College. Beacon Hill - New Beacon Market, Salon Nouveau, South China Restaurant, Red Apple. Rainier Ave - Pho, Pho Van, Jumbo Restaurant. Martin Luther King Way S. - Saigon Dynasty Restaurant. University District - UW Bookstore, Noble Palace Restaurant and other Asian restaurants on University Way. Renton - Great Wall Mall (99 Ranch), Foody Goody Restaurant, Greenery Restaurant.

 We've moved