Last Updated: October 17, 2001
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RESTON, Va. -- The American Society of Newspaper Editors Foundation has awarded
more than $65,000 to 21 high schools and 14 daily newspaper partners to revive
or dramatically improve scholastic newspapers.
ASNE Partnerships are formed when editors of daily newspapers seek out a high
school or schools in their community that are interested in nurturing scholastic
journalism. The newspaper and school then apply to ASNE for a grant of up to
$5,000 that is used to equip the school with the hardware and software needed
to produce a student newspaper. A budget, statement of goals and timeline are
required. In some instances, a local college or university journalism program
signs on as a third partner.
The daily newspaper takes the lead in training and mentoring students, teachers
and administrators who are interested in journalism.
"Both the professional journalists and student journalists find these partnerships
productive and rewarding," said Susan Bischoff, chair of the ASNE Education
for Journalism Committee and deputy managing editor of the Houston Chronicle.
"ASNE scholastic journalism initiatives are sparking a diverse generation of
young people to pursue careers in print journalism and imparting a stronger
appreciation for the First Amendment among all teens."
This second round of ASNE Partnerships are part of an overall ASNE high school
journalism program that was launched in the spring of 2000 and funded by the
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. In January of this year, ASNE supported
partnerships between 31 schools and school districts and 27 daily newspapers,
bringing the total to 52 high schools and 41 daily papers.
The 2001-02 academic year ASNE Partners are:
- Albuquerque (N.M.) Journal and Rio Grande High School.
- Baker City (Ore.) Herald and Baker High School.
- The Bulletin, Bend, Ore. and Summit Senior High School.
- The Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette and Capitol High School.
- Clanton (Ala.) Advertiser and Chilton County High School.
- The Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, Miss., Jackson State University's Department
of Mass Communications and eight high schools in the Jackson Public School
District: Bailey Magnet School, Callaway High School, Forest Hill High School,
Jim Hill High School, Lanier High School, Murrah High School, Provine High
School, Wingfield High School.
- The Dallas Morning News and David W. Carter High School.
- Florence (Ala.) TimesDaily, Colbert Heights High School, Tuscumbia, and
the University of Alabama's Program for Rural Services and Research.
- Mobile (Ala.) Register, Hillcrest (Ala.) High School and the University
of Alabama's Program for Rural Services and Research.
- Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser, Montgomery County High School and the University
of Alabama's Program for Rural Services and Research.
- Ocala (Fla.) Star-Banner and Dunnellon (Fla.) High School.
- The Oregonian, Portland and Roosevelt High School.
- Wellington (Kan.) Daily News and Wellington High School.
- York (Pa.) Daily Record and William Penn High School.
Approximately 20 new partnerships for the 2002-03 school year will be funded
at the end of next summer. Application forms will be distributed at the 2002
ASNE convention in April and will also be mailed to the editors of all daily
newspapers in the U.S.
In the interim, applications will be considered depending on the availability
of funding from ASNE.
Other key components of the ASNE initiative are:
www.highschooljournalism.org: A comprehensive Web site for students
interested in journalism, their teachers/advisers, guidance counselors and newspaper
editors. Regularly changing content includes skill-building exercises, sample
lesson plans, a spotlight on high school newspapers across the country, interaction
with professional journalists and updates on scholastic press freedom issues.
ASNE High School Journalism Institute: During the summer of 2002, 175
teachers committed to advising student newspapers will take part in a two-week,
for-credit summer program. In 2001, 200 teachers were selected to take part
in the Institute, which was held at six accredited colleges of journalism across
the country. For more information on the ASNE Institute, please go to www.highschooljournalism.org.
With about 850 members, ASNE is the principal organization of the top editors
at daily newspapers throughout the Americas. Founded in 1922 as a non-profit
professional organization, ASNE focuses on the professional development of its
members and journalism-related issues, including the First Amendment, newsroom
staff diversity, journalism education, editorial innovation, journalism credibility
and the newspaper's role in providing information necessary to the informed
practice of citizenship.
The Knight Foundation's Journalism Program supports organizations engaged
in the education of current and future journalists, journalism excellence and
the defense of a free press worldwide. Since its first journalism grant in 1954,
the Knight Foundation has made grants of more than $153 million to the field.
