Thursday, May 24, 2007
Freedom Forum names 47 Chips Quinn Scholars for summer 2007 internship program
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ARLINGTON, Va. — Forty-seven students of color have been named Chips Quinn Scholars for Summer 2007 by the Freedom Forum and participating newspapers.
Scholars will work in paid internships across the country at 36 daily newspapers and two Associated Press newsrooms beginning in late May.
They bring to 1,080 the number of journalists trained as reporters, copy editors, photographers and graphic artists since the program began with six Scholars in 1991. Of the Scholars who have completed their education, 67 percent are working at news organizations across the country.
Chips Quinn Scholars are college students or recent graduates with career aspirations in journalism. After completing an intensive four-day orientation with veteran journalists May 17-20 at the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute in Nashville, Tenn., they will work in 10- to 12-week internships. Scholars also will be eligible for $1,600 in scholarships and stipends and ongoing mentoring from the Freedom Forum.
”These impressive Chips Quinn Scholars are bright, talented and enthusiastic,” said Jack Marsh, Freedom Forum vice president for diversity programs. “Their perspectives, skills and passion for good journalism will benefit newsrooms with enriched coverage of the communities they serve.”
Orientation features presentations and coaching by experienced journalists and industry leaders. Among the speakers for this class are Rick Green, managing editor of The Desert Sun in Palm Springs, Calif., Audrey Burgs, night city editor/intern coordinator at The Des Moines (Iowa) Register, John Seigenthaler, founder of the First Amendment Center, Ken Paulson, editor of USA Today, and Keith Woods, dean of the faculty at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla.
“At a time of great change and innovation in the journalism industry, essential aspects of this wonderful business — mentoring, coaching and professional relationships — cannot be ignored. The Chips Quinn Scholars program provides not only a much-needed avenue for greater diversity in newsrooms, but its commitment to career development for these students is unmatched. I’ve seen its success firsthand in our Information Center, and I’m so impressed by the program’s commitment to prepare the next generation of America’s journalists,” said Rick Green.
First-time participants in the Chips Quinn Scholars program this summer include three newsrooms and eight colleges and universities: South Florida Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale; The Associated Press in New York and Richmond, Va.; Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn.; Carleton College in Northfield, Minn.; Hillsdale (Mich.) College; Sacramento (Calif.) City College; San Diego (Calif.) State University; Savannah (Ga.) State University; Tuskegee (Ala.) University; and University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
The Chips Quinn Scholars program is a key component of the Freedom Forum’s efforts to help daily newspapers increase diversity in their newsrooms. A fellowship component of the program provides professional-development opportunities for alumni who have been working in newsrooms for three or more years.
Freedom Forum trustee John C. Quinn and his late wife, Loie, established the Chips Quinn Scholars program in memory of their son John C. “Chips” Quinn Jr., who was managing editor of the Poughkeepsie (N.Y.) Journal when he died in an automobile accident in 1990 at the age of 34.
