25 to attend American Indian Journalism Institute
05.31.05
Vermillion, S.D. — Twenty-five Native college students from 10 states are enrolled to attend the fifth annual American Indian Journalism Institute June 5-24 at the Al Neuharth Media Center on the University of South Dakota campus.
The American Indian Journalism Institute (AIJI), a joint program of the Freedom Forum and the university, is the country's largest college academic program for Native journalism students. AIJI teaches the fundamentals of journalism in a four-credit course that concentrates on reporting, writing, photojournalism, ethics and professional standards. Students attend classes, receive practical experience in journalism labs, go on educational field trips and produce two editions of an institute newspaper, The Native Journal.
"AIJI is training the next generation of Native reporters, photographers and editors," said the Freedom Forum's Jack Marsh, founding director of AIJI and executive director of the Al Neuharth Media Center.
"The Freedom Forum is committed to improving employment diversity in daily newspapers. AIJI promotes journalism opportunities for Native Americans because they are the most under-represented group in the industry. At last count, there were only 295 Natives among the 54,000 journalists working at daily newspapers."
AIJI students come from 20 tribes. The Navajo Nation has the most representation with five students. Other tribal affiliations are: Arikara, Blackfeet, Cherokee, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Citizen Band Potawatomi, Colorado River, Colville, Crow, Ho-Chunk, Hoopa, Maya, Northern Cheyenne, Prairie Band Potawatomi, Salish, Santo Domingo Pueblo, Seminole, Sisseton-Wahpeton, Spirit Lake, Standing Rock Sioux and the Three Affiliated Tribes.
AIJI visiting faculty includes 12 experienced and award-winning journalists: Ray Chavez, journalism professor, University of South Dakota; Steve Chin, new media specialist for the Maynard Institute; Michael Downs, journalism professor, University of Montana; Katja Elias, assistant metro editor, Argus Leader, Sioux Falls, S.D.; Bill Elsen, a former editor and recruiter for The Washington Post; Val Hoeppner, deputy photo director, the Indianapolis Star; Margaret Holt, a senior editor, the Chicago Tribune; Kelly Johnson, copy editor, The Oregonian, Portland; Dennis McAuliffe, University of Montana journalism professor and director of RezNetNews.org; Jodi Rave, columnist and Native issues reporter for Lee newspapers; Fred Sweets, former senior photo editor for The Associated Press; and Clarence Williams, who won the 1998 Pulitzer Prize as a staff photographer for the Los Angeles Times. Marsh also serves as a faculty member.
Guest speakers will give presentations during AIJI: Mary Kay Blake, senior vice president of the Freedom Forum; Michael Gartner, former president of NBC News, veteran newspaper editor and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing; Victor Merina, senior fellow, Annenberg Institute for Justice and Journalism; Al Neuharth, founder of the Freedom Forum and USA TODAY; Wilma Mankiller, former principal chief of the Cherokee Nation; Mike Rounds, governor of South Dakota; Chuck Trimble, former executive director of the National Congress of American Indians and founder of the American Indian Press Association; and Ron Walters, former executive director of the Native American Journalists Association. Their presentations will be videotaped and televised later this year in a weekly series on South Dakota Public Broadcasting.
Sixteen AIJI graduates will work this Summer as paid interns at the Argus Leader, Sioux Falls; the Sioux Falls bureau of The Associated Press; The Forum, Fargo, N.D.; the Muskogee (Okla.) Daily Phoenix; the St. Cloud (Minn.) Times; and at Lee newspapers in Billings, Mont., Tucson, Ariz., and elsewhere.