Ka Leo hires dedicated Hawaiian language staff after 30-year gap

Ka Leo O Hawaiʻi is hiring an editor and a writer specifically to produce journalism in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, a move that marks a structural change for the student publication at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. The magazine has not consistently published in the Hawaiian language since 1991, a period that followed intense student protests.

Editor-in-Chief Dwight Byrum stated the new roles are designed to make the magazine fully representative of its location. He described the goal as giving writers from diverse backgrounds a chance to become voices for their communities. Byrum noted that excluding the Hawaiian language from a publication in Hawaiʻi feels like a crime.

The new hires will pitch, write, and edit stories exclusively in Hawaiian. These pieces will appear in the print magazine once a month. An English version of each story will be available online, with a QR code in the print edition linking readers to the website.

Managing Editor Elle Vincioni clarified that the new positions are not translation roles. The staff will not translate existing English articles from other reporters. While the new hires are expected to provide an English summary, they will choose whether to write a full translation. Vincioni emphasized that Hawaiian language carries cultural nuances that make direct translation difficult.

The positions will not be limited to topics of Hawaiian rights or land issues. Vincioni said the new editor and writer should have the freedom to cover any subject they choose. This approach aims to avoid pigeonholing the staff into a single genre.

The push for Hawaiian language coverage at Ka Leo began in 1990 with the student activist group Make‘e Pono Lāhui Hawaiʻi. The group, known as the Hawaiian Student Liberation Union, demanded that the newspaper print in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. The editorial board initially denied the request, arguing the paper was an English-medium publication. Activists halted distribution trucks and removed newspapers from stands before the board agreed to print a weekly Hawaiian column.

Michael Tsai, who served as city editor in 1991, recalled the period. He said the paper published an editorial column written by Hawaiian Studies students, with an English translation running alongside it. Tsai noted that some students objected to the English translation, arguing it diluted the Hawaiian version. After then-Editor-in-Chief Mark Takai left the position, those efforts were discontinued.

Questions remain about how the magazine will sustain these positions given the high turnover of student journalists. Jordan Kalawai‘a Nunies, a graduate teaching assistant in Hawaiian Studies, called the initiative beautiful but asked for concrete steps to ensure consistency. He suggested requiring applicants to have taken at least three years of Hawaiian language classes at the university to hold a conversation. He also recommended letters of recommendation from Hawaiian language professors to verify ability.

Byrum and Vincioni will train the new hires personally. Ka Leo’s cultural advisor will also review applicants. Byrum explained that he cannot accurately assess a 1,000-word Hawaiian piece using a standard translator. He will rely on the cultural advisor to determine if the writing shows proper respect for the language. Byrum has one semester left, and Vincioni will help pass the initiative to the next editor-in-chief.

Vincioni said the new leadership wants to establish a clear relationship with the community. She stated that Ka Leo cannot fulfill its name as The Voice of Hawaiʻi unless it operates as a bilingual newspaper, following the example of the 19th-century Nūpepa.