Radio DJ refused to participate in joke about tsunami disaster

New York City disc jockey Miss Info spoke last night about her involvement with the controversial "Tsunami Song."

Miss Info, or Minya Oh, was a member of New York's HOT 97 morning show, when a song parodying the tsunami tragedy in Southeast Asia hit the airwaves January 18.

She also connected the issue to her experiences working in the hip-hop industry as an Asian American.

Oh was the only member of the team of Asian origin, and the only member who refused to participate.

"The told me the lyrics, and I was just like 'Are you ... serious?'" Oh said.

At first, Oh simply refused to contribute to the song and the surrounding banter.

However, after commenting that she did not endorse the message of the song, the situation erupted into an on-air fight between the hosts.

"In the situation with the tsunami song, I have never been so happy to have made the right decision at that time," she said.

Oh was one of the first Asian Americans to work in hip-hop journalism.

Having grown up on Chicago's South Side, she got a foothold in the industry by interning at the then-fledgling Source magazine while an undergraduate at Columbia University.

Oh is currently working for MTV News and Vh1, appearing both onscreen and writing behind the scenes.

She is still employed at Hot 97, although she is in negotiations with the station's lawyers following the incident.

"I feel like I can kind of be the thorn in their sides," she said. "The goal is to make people who are profiting from ignorance -- or attempting to -- very uncomfortable."

Oh hopes to get her own "real estate" on the air, and to "never ever have to work with the people I worked with before."

Although the incident was trying for Oh, she believes that in the long run the backlash from the Tsunami Song has been beneficial in raising awareness for the tsunami victims and spurring an onslaught of monetary support.

"You didn't have a right to be outraged if you weren't doing something," she said.

Oh also commented on the incredible support she has received outside of the Asian American community.

Oh's visit was organized by College junior and co-president of the Korean student association Jane Kim.

"When I first heard of [the Tsunami Song], I was not only offended as an Asian-American, but also because they were making fun of such a tragedy," Kim said.

The event was advertised largely through the Asian Pacific Student Coalition and was also used as a fundraiser for the Undergraduate Tsunami Relief Effort. Approximately 35 students attended.

"Everything [Oh] did ... was so noble," said Wharton sophomore Sumit Kadakia, one of the leaders of the tsunami relief effort.

Tsunami relief organizer and Wharton and Engineering junior Ishreth Hassen agreed.

"Being out of place as she was, I thought it was incredibly courageous," he said.

The group will send 18 students to Sri Lanka this May to help in rebuilding efforts.

"I think it would have been great not to just work through minority groups," Kim said.

Hassen agreed.

"It would have been very informative to everyone at this school," he said.

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