Scripps Howard Foundation establishes Howard Centers for investigative journalism

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Aug 06, 2018, 10:00 ET

CINCINNATI, Aug. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In a move to advance high-quality enterprise journalism, the Scripps Howard Foundation today announced a $6 million investment into the creation of two centers for investigative journalism.

Arizona State University and the University of Maryland will each receive $3 million over three years from the Scripps Howard Foundation to establish a Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at their institutions.

The Howard Centers will be multidisciplinary, graduate-level programs focused on training the next generation of reporters through hands-on investigative journalism projects. The Howard Centers' students will work with news organizations across the country to report stories of national or international importance to the public.

The Howard Centers honor the legacy of Roy W. Howard, former chairman of the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain and a pioneering news reporter.

"Roy Howard was an entrepreneur whose relentless pursuit of news took him around the world, sourcing his education directly from the lessons of the newsroom," said Liz Carter, president and CEO of the Scripps Howard Foundation. "That same pursuit led us to establish the Howard Centers – bridging the classroom and the newsroom to ensure tomorrow's journalists are prepared with the mastery of dogged reporting they need in a world that increasingly demands it."

Arizona State and the University of Maryland were selected as locations for the Howard Centers based on proposals submitted in a competitive process. Both universities have journalism programs that feature a rigorous curriculum and hands-on training for student journalists.

"The Centers are envisioned as innovative educational programs," said Battinto Batts, director of the journalism fund for the Scripps Howard Foundation. "Both Arizona State University and the University of Maryland are well-positioned to challenge their students to become ethical, entrepreneurial and courageous investigative journalists."

The Howard Centers will recruit graduate students and faculty of diverse academic and professional backgrounds. Students attending a Howard Center will be introduced to topics including new media, data mining and the history and ethics of investigative journalism.

In addition to the emphasis on multidisciplinary studies within their own curriculum, the Howard Centers also will collaborate on investigative projects to deliver high-impact content to news consumers.

"The Howard Centers will create a new cadre of great investigative journalists – steeped in the values and vision of the Scripps Howard Foundation – while generating impactful national investigations on some of the most important challenges facing our country today," said Christopher Callahan, dean of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, vice provost of ASU and CEO of Arizona PBS. "We are honored to be selected for this critically important initiative and to preserve and celebrate the extraordinary legacy of Roy W. Howard."

"Investigative journalists shine a light on our society's problems and protect democracy by holding the powerful accountable," said Lucy A. Dalglish, dean of the University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism. "The Howard Center at Merrill College will provide an unmatched opportunity for our students to learn to tell important stories in innovative ways, preparing them to become outstanding professional journalists."

The Howard Centers will launch national searches for directors this fall and will open programming to graduate-level students in 2019.

About The Scripps Howard Foundation

The Scripps Howard Foundation supports philanthropic causes important to The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP) and the communities it serves, with a special emphasis on excellence in journalism. At the crossroads of the classroom and the newsroom, the Foundation is a leader in supporting journalism education, scholarships, internships, minority recruitment and development, literacy and First Amendment causes. The Scripps Howard Awards stand as one of the industry's top honors for outstanding journalism. The Foundation improves lives and helps build thriving communities. It partners with Scripps brands to create awareness of local issues and supports impactful organizations to drive solutions.

SOURCE The E.W. Scripps Company