Taylor Jung, an award-winning multimedia journalist, joins Epicenter NYC as its Senior Editor of Content and Partnerships. Jung started her career in the Garden State. She was most recently the social justice reporter for NJ Spotlight News and the contributing editor for New Jersey Urban News, a URL Media partner.
If you have watched Epicenter’s Instagram, TikTok or YouTube lately, you’ve already met her. She has been the face behind our videos decoding NYC for New Yorkers, all while curating our weekly newsletters.
Beyond the newsletter and video, she will be shaping our multiplatform editorial content while reporting on government accountability, police reform, immigration and community-led solutions. She’s a New York native with a master’s from Columbia Journalism School and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association.
To learn more about Taylor, we of course pass the mic to her.
Tell us a little bit about your journalism in New York City. What do you like doing, and what have you been doing?
I got to start in journalism mainly because of my family’s experiences
migrating and immigrating here. I’m Chinese, Japanese and Italian – and I feel like it’s a mix that could only happen in New York City. They have all very different histories, and some of those disparities are what led me to become a journalist. I also feel like we weren’t represented in the news as accurately or as nuanced as we should be.
So my journalist story is rooted in New York City, and I believe I only exist because of the city.
Why Epicenter?
I love community service storytelling – news that’s built by the community and for it, and not just about it. That ethos drew me to the outlet, but I’ve also had it on my vision board for several years now.
What are some stories that you really liked doing for Epicenter?
I really loved this video that I did about September, the Cape Verdean cafe in Brooklyn, just because the country itself had its own moment in the World Cup. A lot of people didn’t know that the country existed, let alone a cafe in the middle of Bed-Stuy. So that’s really my sweet spot with stories: showcasing not just a small business, but maybe a business that people didn’t know about, and how it represents a movement of people who are trying to celebrate a country that’s the underdog on a big world stage.
What are some stories that you’re looking forward to working on?
I feel like I’ve covered a lot of police reform and immigration reform, which are really important and critical stories that are happening right now in New York City and the country. I’m also looking forward to focusing more on the community-led solutions that people are building in New York City to help their neighbors at the street level.
One of your most-cited pieces looked at the challenges of covering this mayor as community media, written right after his inauguration. What prompted that story, and what has changed, seven months in?
It was very packed and difficult to get into the inauguration block party – and also hard to know where press could be. There was a lot of attention on his inauguration because everyone was looking at what he achieved. There’s still a lot of the same media outlets who are all trying to get answers from the administration.
In terms of what’s changed, I do feel like there’s been more outreach from the administration to get to know the media landscape in New York City. So I’m excited to keep reporting on the goals of Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his team and trying to figure out what’s next.
What are you thinking about when you decide what to write about?
I am always focused on what’s not being covered. Generally, everyone will always go to the same press conference. I try to think about what’s the one question that people aren’t asking, or what’s something that’s on the minds of the public that doesn’t always get reflected in news stories. It sometimes takes some creative thinking, and other times it just takes a lot of listening, always reading, and being online to see what people are saying.
How do you decide what to write about?
Definitely in Chinatown in Manhattan. I usually get rice rolls. There’s a lady with a cart near Hester. Otherwise, Tin Wong, which is on Hester, has really good rice rolls.
And a signature Epicenter question: What do YOU need?
Pitches. Please send pitches. I feel like every editor wants pitches all the time. Please send us feedback, as well, on our stories – and things that you’re experiencing in your neighborhood.
