海角大神

Information accessibility is vital for the more than 10 million deaf and hard of hearing people in the U.S. But in emergency situations, they are often the last to know. As COVID-19 hit, hospitals and government briefings have failed at times to provide sign language interpreters or accurate captions. News updates in written English aren鈥檛 necessarily accessible either, since English is a second language for many deaf Americans, who primarily use American Sign Language (ASL).

For the hundreds of thousands听of听ASL users nationwide, the biggest source of signed news during COVID-19 comes from a small home studio near Detroit, with just one full-time staffer.

Every weekday, Alex Abenchuchan uses ASL to deliver briefings of top news in the U.S. and beyond. His 5-year-old online channel, The Daily Moth, has more than 200,000 followers on Facebook. Mr. Abenchuchan also regularly covers issues within the deaf and hard of hearing community.听This year, he has told stories of deaf essential workers, deaf COVID-19 patients, as well as deaf victims of police violence.

The Daily Moth is one of only a handful of professional ASL news platforms, many of which face funding struggles, according to Howard Rosenblum, CEO of the National Association of the Deaf.听

From closed captions on his videos to the color of his backdrop and his shirt, Mr.听Abenchuchan's news is designed to be accessible for听deaf, DeafBlind, as well as hearing and sighted people. But his work is also about telling a good story 鈥� and striving for credibility 鈥� like any other journalist.

鈥淭here has never been anything like The Daily Moth before,鈥� says Stacy Nowak, professor of communication at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., a leading university for deaf and hard of hearing people.听鈥滱nd in some instances, it really saves [deaf people鈥檚] lives, because they have access to news they can finally understand,鈥� she says in ASL.

This story is meant to be watched in video format, but we understand that is not an option for everybody. For those who are unable to watch or listen, we have provided a听transcript of the video below.听

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Video Transcript

The video opens with close-ups of a person鈥檚 hands switching on professional studio lights and a camera. Then we see Alex, framed in the camera鈥檚 monitor, wearing a dark-colored shirt, and sitting against a dark-colored wall. The soundtrack is energetic, conveying a sense of expectation and excitement. Alex gazes into the lens, and starts to sign in ASL.

Female narrator: This is Alex Abenchuchan, a pioneer in American Sign Language journalism.听

The video cuts to Alex鈥檚 published July 9, 2020 news broadcast on his Facebook channel. The report plays on a laptop, which is placed on a desk against a window. This setup is created by the video producer to show Alex鈥檚 published work. On the left side of the laptop are pens and some newspapers, on the right side is a lamp.听The published July 9th report shows Alex on the right side of the screen. The screen鈥檚 upper left area shows images of George Floyd and the ex-police officers involved in his killing. Text beneath the images reads: 鈥淕eorge Floyd said 鈥業 can鈥檛 breathe鈥� almost thirty times.鈥� Alex signs.

Narrator: Alex started The Daily Moth, an online daily news show, in 2015, and has since become a household name among deaf and hard of hearing Americans.

In the same setup with the laptop on the desk, we see a close-up of The Daily Moth鈥檚 logo on the channel鈥檚 Facebook page. The logo shows a moth covering part of the bottom of a light bulb. Then we see a hand scroll through The Daily Moth鈥檚 Facebook page, showing the icons of previous video reports, many of them featuring Alex. A close-up of the Facebook page shows the text: 210.2K followers.听

The video then cuts to an interview with Alex, sitting in his studio by his desk. Text near the bottom of the screen indicates Alex鈥檚 name and his job as the host of The Daily Moth.听

The video cuts to a scene of Alex interviewing a man via video call. Alex sits at his computer in his studio, and the two chat in ASL. Alex asks the guest, 鈥淗ow does it work with online classes? What does it look like?鈥�

Narrator: As COVID-19 and racial unrest swept the US, The Daily Moth has covered issues facing deaf patients, deaf first responders, as well as deaf victims of police violence.听

During the narration, the video cuts back to the earlier setup with the laptop on the desk. As the narrator lists the topics covered by The Daily Moth, the laptop shows clips from the corresponding reports. In the first clip, a man describes his symptoms. In the second clip, a police officer talks about wearing masks. And in the third clip, a Black deaf man points to a boy in a black and white photo.听

The video cuts to a close-up of a cell phone, placed on the desk near the laptop. The phone plays two video messages to Alex from his fans. In the first message, a man signs slowly and emphatically: 鈥淭he Daily Moth is champ! Clear in a visual language.鈥� He then makes a heart shape with his hands. In the second message, a man and a woman both hold out a hand to form a heart shape together for Alex.听

The video cuts to an interview with Stacy Nowak, Professor of communication at Gallaudet University. Text near the bottom of the screen indicates her name and job title. She wears a black shirt with Gallaudet University鈥檚 logo on the chest. She signs in ASL.听

As Stacy explains how The Daily Moth can save lives, the video cuts to slow-motion shots of Alex signing his news report in his studio. In one shot, he signs the phrase 鈥渨ave of COVID-19.鈥� In the next, he signs 鈥渃oronavirus.鈥�

The video cuts to an interview with Alex. In the background, we see his professional light equipment, his teleprompter, and a computer monitor showing The Daily Moth鈥檚 logo.听听听听

The soundtrack changes to a soft, thoughtful tune. The video cuts to Alex in his studio. He bends down and places a computer keyboard on the ground, on a spot marked by blue tape just in front of his right foot. He straightens up, facing his camera, teleprompter, and lights. He straightens his shirt, and signs his news report as text rolls through his teleprompter. He plays and pauses the rolling text by tapping the keyboard鈥檚 spacebar with his toes. The narrator鈥檚 voice fades in during the scene.听

Narrator: Alex is the only full time staffer at The Daily Moth. He works from his home studio near Detroit, and he designed the space with an eye toward accessibility.

The video cuts to Alex pointing at the studio walls and his shirt as he explains the design.听

The video cuts to Alex inserting the memory card from his camera into his computer. In his editing software, he plays an animated version of The Daily Moth鈥檚 logo, in which the moth flutters away from the light bulb and disappears off screen. He looks at footage of a black man signing. Narration fades in.

Narrator: Information accessibility is vital for the more than 10 million deaf and hard of hearing Americans nationwide. But as COVID-19 hit, many have encountered significant barriers, as hospitals and official briefings have failed at times to provide interpreters or accurate captions.听

The video cuts to the earlier setup with the laptop on the desk. The laptop shows two news headlines. The first one, from The Los Angeles Times, reads: 鈥淐oronavirus poses added challenges for hospital patients who are deaf and hard of hearing.鈥� The second one, from CNN, reads: 鈥淒eaf Americans are urging the White House to use sign language interpreters at coronavirus briefings.鈥�

The video then cuts to an interview with Howard Rosenblum, chief executive of the National Association of the Deaf. Text near the bottom of the screen indicates his name and job title. He stands in front of a poster showing a person鈥檚 hands making a sign that means 鈥渢ogether.鈥� Text in all caps next to the hands says, 鈥淣OTHING ABOUT US, WITHOUT US!鈥澨�

The video cuts to the setup with the laptop on the desk. The screen shows The Daily Moth鈥檚听 report from May 13, 2020. Alex occupies the right half of the screen and signs. The screen鈥檚 upper left area shows an image of New York governor Andrew Cuomo. Text under the image reads: 鈥淣.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo provides in-frame interpreter after judge鈥檚 order.鈥澨鼳lex says, "U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni ordered Governor Cuomo that he was to immediately provide in-frame interpreting."听

Alex鈥檚 video report suddenly pauses at the sound of the spacebar. The soundtrack also stops, creating a sense of suspense.听

Narrator: But you might wonder, why do we need ASL when information is also available in written English? That鈥檚 partly because English is a second language for many deaf people.

During the narration, the video cuts to Alex signing the news in his studio. The soundtrack changes to an energetic, intriguing melody. A close-up of Alex鈥檚 teleprompter shows his English script rolling through its screen. A second close-up shows in Alex鈥檚 hands in slow-motion, moving across the frame as he signs.听

The video cuts to an interview with Stacy Nowak, the professor at Gallaudet University.

The video cuts to a slow-motion shot of Alex explaining Dr. Anthony Fauci鈥檚 idea that the US is still in the middle of the first wave of COVID-19 infections. Alex鈥檚 right hand traces a curve in the air to represent the first wave. He then signs the word 鈥渟till鈥� and points at a spot on the imaginary curve. The video then cuts back to the interview with Alex.听

The video cuts to a slow-motion shot, where Alex raises his right arm in a vertical motion to draw Trump Tower, and then moves his left hand in a horizontal motion, to indicate the large street painting at the foot of the building.听

Narrator: But news isn鈥檛 just about vivid narratives.听

The video cuts back to the interview with Stacy Nowak. The soundtrack changes to a gentle, thoughtful melody.

The video cuts to Alex typing the script of his broadcast. An extreme close-up shows the reflection of the computer screen in his eyes. Behind him, a logo of The Daily Moth, about a foot tall, is propped up on a desk.听

Narration: And to remove his own opinion from the news, Alex has developed a particular body language.听

The video cuts to an interview with Alex.听

As Alex explains his use of body language, the video cuts to various shots of Alex recording his show, to illustrate the neutral facial expression that Alex refers to. In one clip, Alex signs: 鈥淢ichael Cohen is now back in federal prison.鈥�

The soundtrack changes to a percussion piece that evokes a sense of wonder. The video cuts back to the setup with the laptop on the desk. The laptop shows a painting featured on The Daily Moth鈥檚 Facebook page. The painting depicts a large, colorful moth and a light bulb against a blue background. Alex鈥檚 smiling face is drawn across the moth鈥檚 back and wings, blending together with patterns on the moth鈥檚 back. The video cuts to an interview with Alex.听

The video cuts back to the earlier scene of Alex interviewing a man over video chat. Alex is lit up by large, bright studio lights, positioned behind the computer screen. He signs his question to the man, and nods as the man replies.听

Narrator: The Daily Moth is one of only a handful of professional ASL news platforms.听

The video cuts back to an interview with Howard Rosenblum from the National Association of the Deaf.

The video cuts back to an interview with Alex.

The video cuts to the setup of the laptop on the desk. We see a close-up of a cell phone, placed on the desk near the laptop. The phone plays two messages to Alex from audience members. In the first message, a woman signs: 鈥淭hank you for your hard work. It helps keep me calm and stay at home and stay safe.鈥� Then she makes a heart shape with her hands. The second video shows two men standing side by side. The one on the left signs emphatically: 鈥淲e watch it every day! Thank you.鈥�

The video then cuts to the laptop on the desk. The laptop plays the last few seconds of Alex鈥檚 published July 9th news report. Alex signs.听

The video ends. The logo of 海角大神 appears, followed by the end credits. End credits: produced by Jingnan Peng; cinematography and additional reporting by Adrean Mangiardi; additional cinematography by Jingnan Peng; English translations by Deaf Professional News Network; color correction by Vincent Lomascolo; voiceover by Jingnan Peng, Noelle Swan, Mark Sappenfield, Clay Collins, and Samantha Laine Perfas; production supervised by Samantha Laine Perfas.听