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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 800
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.
After successful completion of the program, Scholars receive
a $1,000 award. 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. A minimum salary of $500 a week is required
in 2007.
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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