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What's all the buzz about?
Who are Chips Quinn Scholars?
Who was Chips Quinn?
What's the goal of the program?
Is the program more than an internship?
How do students become Chips Quinn Scholars?
How does my newspaper benefit?
How do students get placed at a newspaper?
Can I request a specific intern?
Can I nominate someone for the program?
Which newspapers participate?
Are the internships paid?
Who is responsible for the intern's housing?
Do the Scholars receive any training before their internships?
What's orientation all about?
Is there any follow-up after orientation?
How can I help a Scholar succeed in my newsroom?
Are there any other requirements?
How can I get a Chips Quinn Scholar at my newspaper?
What's all the buzz about?
The Chips Quinn Scholars program has placed more than 1,150 young people of color in newspaper newsroom internships, opening doors to careers in journalism for these students. More than two-thirds of Chips Quinn alumni continue to work in the media, as reporters, photographers, editors and other news professionals.
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Who are Chips Quinn Scholars?
Scholars are college juniors, seniors or recent graduates with majors in journalism or goals of daily newspaper careers. They seek practical experience to supplement their studies. A diverse group of students from colleges across the country, they work in reporting, copy editing, graphics and photography positions at daily newspapers in 10- to 12-week paid internships in Spring or Summer.
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Who was Chips Quinn?
John "Chips" Quinn Jr. was editor of the Poughkeepsie (N.Y.) Journal when he died in a car accident at age 34. Chips was an innovative newspaper editor who valued diversity in staffing and newspaper content.
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What's the goal of the program?
The program was founded in 1991 by Freedom Forum Advisory Trustee John Quinn and his wife, Loie, in memory of their son, Chips Quinn. The program works to develop a network of talent that will increase newspaper newsroom diversity.
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Is the program more than an internship?
Yes. In addition to newspaper internships, the program offers journalism training, coaching and mentoring. Scholars receive a $500 housing allowance at the beginning of their internship and are reimbursed for mileage to and from their internships. But the title "Chips Quinn Scholar" lives on long after the internship ends. The Chips Quinn Scholars Association allows alums to network with one another and contribute to the mentoring of new Scholars.
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How do students become Chips Quinn Scholars?
Scholars are accepted into the program by nomination from journalism faculty and campus media advisers, editors of newspapers or leaders of minority journalism associations. Nominees must complete an application and submit transcripts, a half-dozen work samples, two letters of recommendation, a photograph and an essay about why they believe they should be Chips Quinn Scholars. Nominations are screened by the Freedom Forum, which seeks students with strong potential, positive attitudes and interest in newspaper journalism.
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How does my newspaper benefit?
Every newspaper needs a talented, diverse group of journalists who can go out into the community and bring back great stories. The program can provide you with the opportunity to develop young journalists for internships, bring fresh perspectives to your newsroom, help your newspaper reflect your community's diverse readership and support your interns with training and coaching.
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How do students get placed at a newspaper?
The Freedom Forum matches nominees with participating newspapers. Newspaper editors choose their interns after considering the needs of their newsrooms, reviewing application material and conducting phone interviews with prospective interns. Placement notifications for the Summer program are made by the Freedom Forum as early as mid-November and continue through the end of April. Placement for the Spring program begins in November and continues into January.
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Can I request a specific intern?
If an editor is interested in a local student or someone the editor might have met at a college, job fair or convention, the editor should let the program director know that. Both an editor's needs and a student's desires play a role in matching candidates with newsrooms.
Can I nominate someone for the program?
If an editor is considering offering an internship to someone who meets our program's criteria but who has not yet applied, the editor should ask the program director if the student could be considered.
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Which newspapers participate?
Since Chips Quinn Scholars began in 1991, more than 165 newspapers across the country have hosted interns. The newspaper themselves are diverse, varying in circulation, location and ownership.
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Are the internships paid?
Yes. We know that salaries vary from year to year and from newspaper to newspaper, depending upon circulation size, location and other factors.
Who is responsible for the intern's housing?
Each intern is responsible for his or her own housing. A $500 housing allowance from the Freedom Forum helps the intern offset the cost. We encourage newsrooms to assist interns in identifying appropriate neighborhoods and housing locations. Newspapers in college towns might check to see if interns could find housing in dormitories. Many newspapers find that their own employees have rooms to rent to interns, giving the interns another opportunity to connect with the staff in the newsroom or in another department.
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Do the Scholars receive any training before their internships?
Scholars participate in a four-day orientation at the Freedom Forum, in preparation for their internships. Orientation for the Spring program is in mid-January, while Summer orientation is in mid-May. Editors whose newspapers host interns are welcome to attend orientation.
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What's orientation all about?
Orientation begins with a dinner the first evening, and the learning and the fun continue until the afternoon of the fifth day. Scholars hear from experienced editors and journalists and learn about writing, reporting, interviewing, editing and photography. Speakers lead discussions of specialty topics such as ethics, the First Amendment, newspaper readers and online news. Scholars receive advice from alums now at work in full-time newspaper jobs. They develop strong friendships with other interns and they make key contacts with professional journalists.
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Is there any follow-up after orientation?
Program Director Karen Catone likes to say that the Chips Quinn Scholars program is about developing a network of minority journalists who can provide support throughout one's career. During their internships, most Scholars work with either a professional writing coach contracted by the Freedom Forum or an alumni mentor who provides long-distance support via e-mail and phone calls. We encourage individual newsrooms to provide additional training and coaching for their interns.
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How can I help a Scholar succeed in my newsroom?
A large part of the program's success comes from nurturing newsrooms and conscientious editors. We encourage editors to ensure that department heads or a designated manager work closely with Scholars to provide appropriate feedback, assistance and advice. The editor also might arrange for a professional partner, to whom the intern could turn for help with issues from developing sources to finding a good dry cleaner.
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Are there any other requirements?
Near the end of the internship, we'll ask the newspaper to complete a written evaluation of the intern's work. We encourage editors to talk with their Scholars about their performance and offer advice about future internships, campus work or employment options.
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How can I get a Chips Quinn Scholar at my newspaper?
Contact Director Karen Catone at 202-292-6271. There is a waiting list of newspapers interested in hosting an intern. But we would welcome word of a newspaper's interest for when the opportunity arises.
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