Report for America today announced the placement of Jayna Omaye to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, where she will cover ethnic and cultural affairs.

Report for America is a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues and communities. It is an initiative of The Ground­Truth Project, a nonprofit journalism organization. The Star­Advertiser was named a partner newsroom in December, joining more than 200 others in 49 states; Washington, D.C.; Puerto Rico; and Guam.

As the ethnic and cultural affairs reporter, Omaye will examine the challenges and successes of Hawaii’s rich and diverse multi-ethnic communities as the newspaper strives to broaden its coverage with accuracy and sensitivity.

Born and raised on Oahu, Omaye began her journalism career as a reporter at the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel and then moved home to work at the Star-Advertiser in 2015. Omaye most recently worked as a staff writer at Honolulu Magazine.

“We are excited to welcome Jayna back to the Star-Advertiser as we renew our commitment to reporting on Hawaii’s ethnic communities. Along with ProPublica, our partnership with Report for America continues our efforts to leverage all available resources to support and retain journalists who rise above the rest,” said Dennis Francis, Star-Advertiser president and publisher. “Despite challenging financial times for independent media outlets, the Star- Advertiser will continue to advance journalism in Hawaii at the highest caliber.”

The 2021 Report for America reporting corps includes some 300 journalists, some returning for a second or third year. The diverse corps includes 135 journalists of color — at 45%, more than double the percentage found in the majority of America’s newsrooms, Report for America reported. By better reflecting their communities, Report for America’s partner newsrooms will be better positioned to gain the trust of their audiences amid the national reckoning on race, it said in a news release.

“The crisis in our democracy, disinformation and polarization, is in many ways a result of the collapse of local news,” said Steven Waldman, co-founder and president of Report for America. “We have a unique opportunity to reverse this decline by filling newsrooms with talented journalists who not only view journalism as a public service, but who can make trusted connections with the communities they serve.”

The new corps members, who begin their assignments in June, include a Pulitzer Prize finalist team member, a two-time C.B. Blethen Memorial Award winner and recipients of the Student Edward R. Murrow Award, Associated Collegiate Press Story of the Year, Melcher Family Award for Excellence in Journalism, Overseas Press Club Award, National Press Photographers Association Award and multiple state press club awards.

At Honolulu Magazine, Omaye developed a deeper appreciation for arts, culture and history. She led one of the magazine’s largest projects in recent years — a 19-page cover story and 20 individual pages online — about the life stories of Hawaii’s Japanese American veterans. The multi­media feature won two national first-place awards. Her work has also garnered three local awards. Omaye earned her master’s degree from Northwestern University and her bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon.

A lover of all things arts and culture, she has danced hula for most of her life and recently began playing taiko after a story on Honolulu’s ethnic festivals inspired her to reconnect with her Japanese heritage. She is happy to be home working as a journalist.