Meet America's top sign language news reporter

[energetic music]

(voiceover) "Hello! Welcome to The Daily Moth.

It's Thursday, July 9th.

Here are today's top news briefs."

(Female narrator) This is Alex Abenchuchan,

a pioneer in American Sign Language journalism.

"Floyd's last three words were: 'Please, please, please.'"

(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.

"I'm covering the big news in the hearing community,

but also the deaf person's perspective.

That's what I like to do, get that deaf perspective."

"How does it work with online classes?

What does it look like?"

(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.

"The Daily Moth is champ! Clear in a visual language."

"There has never been anything like The Daily Moth before.

With the visual aspect of it,

deaf people are more motivated to watch the news.

(voiceover continues) And in some instances, it really saves their lives,

because they have access to news they can finally understand."

"I love reading and watching the news,

movies and documentaries.

The storytelling is within me.

(voiceover continues) I need to know what's happening

and I feel like I can't miss out on knowing."

[gentle music]

(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 towards accessibility.

"The reason why this is dark

is for a DeafBlind audience to be able to clearly see

the contrast between the dark colors and my hands.

(voiceover continues) Deaf people who can see also tend to prefer a good contrast color."

(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.

"COVID-19 has impacted us in every way

and has turned our lives upside down.

But deaf and hard of hearing people are usually the last to know,

(voiceover continues) and often don't realize their rights during times like these."

"US district Judge Valerie Caproni ordered Governor Cuomo that he was to immediately provide in-frame interpreting."

(Narrator) But you might wonder,

why do we need ASL when information is also available in written English? [exciting music]

That's partly because English is a second language for many deaf people.

(Voiceover for Stacy Nowak) "Deaf people are visual.

Often hearing people perceive ASL as being easier,

and a simplified, summarized, 'good enough' version of English.

Really, it's the opposite.

(voiceover continues) With non-verbal language, we see things differently, and more."

"I try to present the information in 3D

and create more of a picture than the English allows for.

For instance, news regarding Black Lives Matter street paintings.

I use space to show how it's written on the street in front of Trump Tower."

(Narrator) But news isn't just about vivid narratives.

"Deaf people can trust him because he cites his sources.

(voiceover continues) If he makes mistakes, he will admit them, or he will correct himself."

(Narrator) And to remove his own opinion from the news,

Alex has developed a particular body language.

"With ASL, I use my facial expressions to express tone.

With my news briefs, I aim for a more monotonous delivery

to remain neutral and unbiased.

(voiceover continues) That means I have to tone down my facial expressions.

However, I still emphasize information as needed.

There's a little bit of an art to it."

[gentle music]

"Moths are a symbol of deaf culture and deaf people.

Deaf people tend to flock towards light, especially bright light.

If there's a deaf event in someone's house,

deaf people tend to gather in the kitchen, because that's where the light is the brightest.

The bright light gives us the energy to socialize with others.

(Voiceover continues) And ASL is a visual language."

(Narrator) The Daily Moth is one of only a handful of professional ASL news platforms.

"The Daily Moth and other similar groups have funding struggles."

"Deaf people go through so many struggles on a daily basis.

We face discrimination.

Sometimes we need laws passed that support and improve our quality of life.

Without deaf journalism, those discussions can only occur in small pockets on social media."

"Thank you for your hard work.

It helps keep me calm and stay at home and stay safe."

"We watch it every day! Thank you."

"That's all the news for today.

See you tomorrow, and stay with the light."