What’s the Story?
For news organizations to serve their readers, viewers and listeners, newsroom staffs and the stories they cover should closely mirror the diversity of their communities. The Freedom Forum Diversity Institute is charting an aggressive course to identify, recruit, train and retain people of color for journalism careers. Diversity initiatives and other programs of the Diversity Institute include:
Alumni Fellowship Grants
To encourage retention and advancement of experienced journalists, the Diversity Institute awards a limited number of fellowship grants to its alumni to pay for journalism training and related travel expenses. Applicants must be working journalists with at least two years of experience. Selection is competitive. Grants are not given for convention attendance. The program is open to Chips Quinn Scholars, graduates of the American Indian Journalism Institute, Diversity Institute Fellows, ASNE/APME Fellows and Diversity Institute Multimedia Scholars. For inquiries, specifics about the criteria and application instructions, contact Michelle Hedenskoog at 202/292-6273 or mhedenskoog@freedomforum.org.
American Indian Journalism Institute
The American Indian Journalism Institute, founded in 2001, is an academic, scholarship and internship program for college students run and underwritten by the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute. American Indian students often do not consider journalism as a career option, in part because many of their schools lack student newspapers and journalism classes, the most common routes to journalism careers. Without Native Americans on staff, news organizations can produce stereotypical and erroneous coverage of Indian issues and Indian people. AIJI provides a unique opportunity for Indian students to learn about journalism and consider it as a career, which will help improve newsroom diversity around the country. For two weeks in June, Native American students learn the craft of journalism through an intense college-level journalism course taught at the Freedom Forum’s Al Neuharth Media Center, on the University of South Dakota’s Vermillion campus. Students attend AIJI for free and receive other financial assistance, including room and board during the program. AIJI students also may be eligible for 3 hours of college credit. After successful completion of the program, AIJI graduates compete for paid summer internships as reporters, copy editors, photographers or multimedia journalists in newsrooms and with The Associated Press. Interns must be licensed drivers and provide their own vehicles. For inquiries and applications, contact Janine Harris at jharris@freedomforum.org or 605/677-5424.
Chips Quinn Scholars
The Chips Quinn Scholars Program for Diversity in Journalism (www.chipsquinn.org) offers students hands-on training and mentoring by caring news veterans. Nearly 1,200 men and women have been named Chips Quinn Scholars since 1991, making it the largest and most enduring diversity initiative of the Freedom Forum. The aim: Provide special support and encouragement that will open doors to news careers and bring greater diversity to the newsrooms of the United States. All expenses are paid. The program, operated by the Diversity Institute and funded by the Freedom Forum, provides internships, training, an intense one-week college course in multimedia skills and financial assistance to college students from multicultural backgrounds who are pursuing careers in journalism. Internships are offered in spring and summer. The annual application deadline is in October. College juniors, seniors or recent graduates with majors in journalism or career goals in journalism are eligible. The Diversity Institute matches nominees with participating news organizations from across the country for 10- to 12-week paid internships. Selected scholars participate in a four-day orientation program at the John Seigenthaler Center in Nashville, Tenn., in preparation for their internships. At the end of their internships, they come to the Diversity Institute’s school facility in Nashville for a one-week class in multimedia journalism and can earn one hour of college credit. The program was founded by John Quinn, former deputy chairman of the Freedom Forum, and his late wife, Loie, who wanted to honor their son, John “Chips” Quinn Jr., who was an upstate New York newspaper editor when he was killed in a traffic accident. For program information and applications, go to www.chipsquinn.org or contact Karen Catone at kcatone@freedomforum.org or 202/292-6271.
Multimedia Scholars
The Diversity Institute Multimedia Scholars Program, run during the summer in partnership with Schurz Communications, offers college scholarships, a free two-week college-level course in multimedia journalism and places successful graduates in eight-week paid multimedia internships at newspapers owned by Schurz Communications. Admission to the program is competitive. All expenses are paid. Applicants are recruited from historically black colleges and universities. First consideration is given to active and promising journalism students who contribute to Black College Wire, a national student news service. Students must be licensed drivers and need to have reliable vehicles for their internships. The two-week multimedia course is intense. Students receive instruction at the Diversity Institute’s school facility in Nashville, Tenn., and can earn 3 hours of college credit from Belmont University. For inquiries and additional information, contact either Val Hoeppner, vhoeppner@freedomforum.org and 615/727-1410, or Pearl Stewart, plswriter@aol.com.
Native American Journalism Career Conference
The three-day Native American Journalism Career Conference, held every April since 2000, is the largest Native student journalism program of its kind in the country. The conference is hosted by Crazy Horse Memorial (www.crazyhorse.org) in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Past conferences have attracted about 1,000 Native students from high schools and colleges in the upper Midwest and the western United States. Experienced journalists — many of them Native American — mentor the students on the basic skills and practices of journalism, including writing, photography and multimedia. Teachers and advisers who are interested in organizing student groups to attend the conference must register in advance at www.sdna.com. Lodging, meals and conference participation are free to students and their teachers. Some travel assistance is available. “This conference introduces and promotes journalism as a career path for Native youth who otherwise might not consider it,” said Jack Marsh, Freedom Forum vice president and one of the conference founders. “Natives are the most underrepresented group in America’s newsrooms. Quality news organizations that value a diverse workforce are eager to hire Native journalists and improve the coverage of Indian Country, Native people and Native issues. When the diversity of a newsroom reflects the diversity of the community it serves, the news coverage is fairer and richer.” The conference is funded by the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute and co-sponsored by the South Dakota Newspaper Association, the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation, the Native American Journalists Association, and the journalism programs at South Dakota State University and the University of South Dakota. For inquiries, to register a student group or to volunteer as a mentor, contact Janine Harris at jharris@freedomforum.org or 605/677-5424.
Neuharth Award for Excellence in the Media
The Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in the Media honors lifetime achievement and is presented each fall by the Freedom Forum and the University of South Dakota. Twenty-one individuals have received the Al Neuharth Award since 1989. The award is named for USA TODAY and Freedom Forum founder Al Neuharth, a South Dakota native and 1950 graduate of USD. Past recipients of the Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in the Media include: Walter Cronkite (1989), Carl T. Rowan (1990), Helen Thomas (1991), Tom Brokaw (1992), Larry King (1993), Charles Kuralt (1994), Albert R. Hunt and Judy Woodruff (1995), Robert MacNeil (1996), Cokie Roberts (1997), Tim Russert and Louis D. Boccardi (1998), John Seigenthaler (1999), Jim Lehrer (2001), Tom Curley (2002), Don Hewitt (2004), Garrison Keillor (2005), Bob Schieffer (2006), and John C. Quinn and Ken Paulson (2007), and Charles Overby (2008). For more information about the Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in the Media, contact Jack Marsh, 605/677-6315 or jmarsh@freedomforum.org.
Visiting Scholars at the University of South Dakota
Every semester, the University of South Dakota in Vermillion and the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute host visiting college students interested in journalism careers but who attend other colleges or universities with limited or no journalism courses. The program aims to assist Native American students and encourage them to pursue careers in journalism. Qualified students attend for free because the cost is shared by the Diversity Institute, USD and scholarships designated for Native American students. Visiting students are enrolled at USD for one semester, and are eligible to take a full load of courses in journalism and related subjects. Upon successful completion of the courses, credits earned from USD can be transferred to the students’ home schools. Classes are taught by the USD faculty, supplemented with individualized instruction and mentoring by the Freedom Forum’s journalist-in-residence at the Al Neuharth Media Center. For inquiries or to apply, contact journalist-in-residence Chuck Baldwin, chuck.baldwin@usd.edu or 605/677-5802.
Visiting Scholars program at Belmont University
Every semester, Belmont University in Nashville and the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute host visiting college students interested in journalism careers but who attend other colleges or universities with limited or no journalism courses. The program’s aim is to diversify the student makeup in Belmont’s journalism program and to encourage greater diversity in the mainstream media. Qualified students attend for free because costs are underwritten by Belmont, the Diversity Institute and scholarships designated for students from underserved or underrepresented groups. Visiting students are enrolled at Belmont for one semester, and are eligible to take a full load of courses in journalism and related subjects. Upon successful completion of the courses, credits earned from Belmont can be transferred to the students’ home schools. Classes are taught by the faculty of Belmont and the Diversity Institute, both situated in the same neighborhood of Nashville. Selection is competitive. For inquiries or to apply, contact Val Hoeppner at the Diversity Institute, vhoeppner@freedomforum.org and 615/727-1410, or Thom Storey at Belmont, storeyt@mail.belmont.edu and 615/460-5447.
Workshops, conferences and other hosted events
The Freedom Forum Diversity Institute partners with other journalism and professional organizations to host workshops, conferences and classes at several sites, including all three of its office locations: Freedom Forum headquarters and Newseum in Washington, D.C.; John Seigenthaler Center at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.; and Al Neuharth Media Center at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, S.D. Organizations interested in co-sponsoring events to advance diversity and the First Amendment, should contact Jack Marsh at jmarsh@freedomforum.org or 605/677-6315.