Freedom Forum Names 12 Chips Quinn Scholars For Spring 2012 Internship Program

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Twelve journalists from diverse backgrounds have been named Chips Quinn Scholars for spring 2012 by the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute and participating news organizations. This year marks the 21st anniversary of the Chips Quinn Scholars program, which began with six scholars in 1991.

Chips Quinn Scholars are college students or recent graduates pursuing journalism careers. After completing an intensive orientation and training program with veteran journalists, which takes place Jan. 17 to 27 at the Freedom Forum's John Seigenthaler Center in Nashville, Tenn., they will work in 10- to 12-week internships or full-time jobs at 10 participating news organizations.

"Chips Quinn Scholars bring much-needed diversity to newsrooms throughout the nation and help to raise the quality of journalism with their fresh perspectives and distinctive backgrounds," said Jack Marsh, president and chief operating officer of the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute.

Since the program began, a total of 1,260 men and women have been placed as reporters, copy editors, photographers, graphic artists and multimedia journalists. Scholars are eligible for financial support and ongoing mentoring from the Freedom Forum.

"The Chips Quinn Scholars program provides a valuable growth experience for young journalists and is a tremendous benefit to newsrooms that put a priority on diversity," said Steve Coffman, executive editor of The Jackson (Tenn.) Sun. "In some cases, scholars have transitioned into full-time work at our newspaper, again marking success for both the scholars and the newspaper."

The training sessions in Nashville will include presentations and instruction by experienced journalists and industry leaders. Among the speakers are John C. Quinn, founder of the Chips Quinn Scholars program; John Seigenthaler, founder of the First Amendment Center; Jack Marsh, president and chief operating officer of the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute; Ken Paulson, president and chief executive officer of the First Amendment Center; Gene Policinski, senior vice president of the First Amendment Center; Val Hoeppner, director of education for the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute; career coaches Colleen Fitzpatrick and Mary Ann Hogan; and seven Chips Quinn alumni: Danese Kenon, multimedia journalist, The Indianapolis Star; Tony Gonzalez, reporter, The Tennessean; Talia Buford, reporter, Politico; Paola Iuspa, reporter, Daily Business Review; Bao Ong, contributing writer, The New York Times; Marian Liu, director of "Voices," Asian American Journalists Association; and Sue Stock Serna, media analyst, Cargill.

The Chips Quinn Scholars program is a major initiative of the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute to help news organizations increase diversity in their newsrooms. For more information on Freedom Forum diversity programs, visit freedomforumdiversity.org.

Former 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.

The spring 2012 Chips Quinn Scholars, their schools and sponsoring media organizations are:

Meredith Bennett-Smith
New York University
The Christian Science Monitor (Boston)

Joanna Chau
Florida International University
The Chronicle of Higher Education (Washington, D.C.)

Michelle Gachet
San Jose State University
The Jackson (Tenn.) Sun

Laura Gonzalez
California State University, Northridge
Imperial Valley Press (El Centro, Calif.)

Vivian Ho
Boston University
San Francisco Chronicle

Ellen Huet
Stanford University
San Francisco Chronicle

Brooke Kelly
Jackson State University
Scripps Howard Foundation Wire (Washington, D.C.)

Kyle Kim
Whitworth University
The Bulletin (Bend, Ore.)

Griselda Nevarez
Arizona State University
Hispanic Link News Service (Washington, D.C.)        

Sigourney Nunez
California State University, Northridge
The Bulletin (Bend, Ore.)

Marina Sandoval
California State University, Northridge
Current TV (Los Angeles)

Frank Shyong
University of California, Los Angeles
The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, Calif.)

SOURCE Freedom Forum Diversity Institute