Friday, January 23, 2004
Freedom Forum Diversity Institute welcomes 5th class of 7 journalism fellows
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Freedom Forum Diversity Institute welcomes its fifth class of seven journalism fellows Sunday, Jan. 25. The 12-week training program at Vanderbilt University is designed for people of color who want to become journalists but have not had formal journalism training.
Emmy Award-winning journalist Carole Simpson, senior correspondent at ABC News, will speak to the class at the Jan. 25 opening dinner. Since joining ABC News from NBC News in 1982, Simpson has anchored many major breaking news stories, such as the release of Nelson Mandela, the Senate impeachment trial of President Clinton, the Persian Gulf War, the Tiananmen Square massacre, the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill hearings and events surrounding the Oklahoma City bombing.
Among the seven new Diversity Institute fellows are Joe Rodriguez, a radiology clerk; Margaret Davis, a surgical nurse who published a column called “Nursing Notes” while attending nursing school; and Marcela Creps, a loan officer. Creps entered Indiana’s Ball State University in 1985 with hopes of becoming a journalist, but after the deaths of both parents Creps left college. After a 15-year journey that has included secretarial positions, marriage and motherhood and becoming a mortgage loan officer, Creps is returning to her quest for a career in journalism.
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 the nominees as full-time journalists after they have completed the program, which consists of 12 weeks of hands-on training in all aspects of print journalism — reporting, writing, editing, photography, ethics and other core values of journalism.
“We applaud our newspaper partners so far in this venture as we help daily newspapers increase staff and content diversity,” said Wanda Lloyd, executive director of the Diversity Institute. “Editors who have our graduates working in their newsrooms tell us that, in most cases, Diversity Institute fellows are exceeding their expectations as entry-level journalists.”
“We look forward to expanding our partnerships with many more newspapers and newspaper companies,” said Lloyd. The Diversity Institute plans to conduct two more classes in 2004, beginning in June and September.
At the end of the fourth week of training, the fellows will begin receiving spot news assignments covering specific events, police and courthouse beats and city council meetings — working in the field, reporting, interviewing and writing. These assignments will culminate in articles that will be written for Davidson A.M., a zoned section of The Tennessean. Each fellow will also spend a Saturday rotation with the metro desk of The Tennessean, the state’s largest-circulation daily newspaper.
“The Diversity Institute fellows have embraced our mission and written a variety of community and human-interest stories for us,” said Cindy Smith, The Tennessean’s assistant managing editor/Davidson A.M. “Their work makes our section better and gives our readers a more diverse look at our hometown. We're delighted to partner with the Diversity Institute.”
ABC News correspondent Simpson has established several college scholarships for women and minorities pursuing careers in broadcast journalism. She serves as co-chair of the International Women's Media Foundation and is on the advisory board of the Freedom Forum's Newseum. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Commission on Working Women, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Radio and Television News Directors Foundation (RTNDF), on the Board of the National Press Foundation and the University of Michigan Alumni Board.
Simpson is one of more than three dozen guest lecturers — reporters, editors, publishers, managers, photographers and former Diversity Institute graduates — who will speak to the Diversity Institute fellows during their training. The fellows also will attend the American Society of Newspaper Editors’ “Covering the New Americans” seminar in Memphis, Tenn., where they will learn how to report on Latinos and immigrant communities.
Since the Diversity Institute opened its doors in June 2002, 35 fellows have graduated and gone on to daily newspaper newsroom careers.
Diversity Institute fellows are taught at the John Seigenthaler Center, a Freedom Forum facility on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Participants receive a small stipend during the program. The Freedom Forum pays all expenses.
New fellows at the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute and their sponsoring newspapers:
For additional information about the fifth Diversity Institute class or general information, including application information, visit the Diversity Institute Web site (www.diversityinstitute.org).
The Freedom Forum, based in Arlington, Va., is a nonpartisan foundation dedicated to free press, free speech and free spirit for all people. The foundation focuses on three main priorities: the Newseum, First Amendment issues and diversity in U.S. daily newspaper newsrooms.