Friday, May 31, 2002
Inaugural class enters Freedom Forum's Diversity Institute at Vanderbilt University
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Freedom Forum Diversity Institute, a training program designed for people of color who want to become journalists but have not had formal journalism training, welcomes its inaugural class Sunday, June 2. The first nine Diversity Institute fellows include a retired pipe fitter whose career was cut short by a work-related injury; a former machine operator who has dreamed of working at his local newspaper since sixth grade; a secretary with a flair for graphic design and a one-time newspaper circulation manager.
Diversity Institute fellows are people seeking a mid-career change or recent college graduates who did not major in journalism. Applicants are nominated by newspaper editors, generally in the applicant’s hometown. Participating newspapers agree to hire their nominees as full-time journalists after they have completed the program, which consists of 12 weeks of hands-on training sessions introducing the fellows to all aspects of print journalism — reporting, writing, editing, visual journalism, media ethics and journalism history.
Some members of the inaugural class have done free-lance work or completed internships at their sponsoring newspaper, but none has had formal training in interviewing sources, writing on deadline, capturing breaking news on film, or other skills needed for successful careers at daily newspapers.
"Not everyone is in a position to dedicate their lives to a career in journalism right out of high school," said Charles L. Overby, chairman and chief executive officer of the Freedom Forum. "The Diversity Institute gives these individuals a chance to develop the skills they need, while helping their newspaper diversify its staff with well-trained, home-grown talent."
Diversity Institute fellows will be taught in a new Freedom Forum facility on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Participants will be housed in campus apartments and will receive a small stipend during the program. All expenses are paid by the Freedom Forum.
The Diversity Institute faculty and staff include Executive Director Wanda Lloyd and two instructors, Robbie Morganfield and Ray Wong.
Lloyd previously was managing editor at The Greenville (S.C.) News and managing editor/administration and senior editor at USA TODAY. She also worked at The Washington Post, The Miami Herald, The Atlanta Journal and the Providence Evening Bulletin. She is a member of the American Society of Newspaper Editors’ board of directors and the Accrediting Committee of the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications.
Morganfield is a veteran newspaper reporter and editor who has worked for the Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Sun-Sentinel, The Detroit News, The Tulsa (Okla.) Tribune, the Houston Chronicle and the Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram. He also has taught journalism at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, Texas Christian University, the University of Texas-Arlington and St. Augustine’s College in Raleigh, N.C.
Wong is a tenured associate professor of media design for the School of Journalism at Middle Tennessee State University, where he has worked since 1995. Previously, he spent nearly 20 years working for newspapers — first as director of graphics and photography at The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Miss., and then as graphics editor and systems editor at The Tennessean in Nashville.
The inaugural fellows of the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute, and their sponsoring newspapers:
- Roxye Arellano —Greeley (Colo.) Tribune
- Margaret Bailey —Savannah (Ga.) Morning News
- Monica Bryant —Star-Banner, Ocala, Fla.
- Shiloh Crawford III —Dayton (Ohio) Daily News
- Kevin Jones —Tucson (Ariz.) Citizen
- Shawna Kelsch —FLORIDA TODAY, Melbourne, Fla.
- My-Ly Nguyen —Press & Sun-Bulletin, Binghamton, N.Y.
- Diane Tinsley —The Record, Hackensack, N.J.
- Alonzo Weston —St. Joseph (Mo.) News-Press
For additional information about the inaugural class or general information — including application information — about the Diversity Institute, visit the Diversity Institute area of the Freedom Forum Web site.
Media contacts:
Wanda Lloyd, 615/727-1401
Mike Fetters, 703/284-2895
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