19 alums bring their talents to small-newspaper fellows program

Special for chipsquin.org

Posted: May 13, 2003

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Joseph Bryant has less than two years’ experience at the Times Daily in Florence, Ala., but he more than holds his own in a newsroom with reporters who have more than 10 years of experience.

"He researches his stories so well that he has inspired other writers to come out of their comfortable ruts and follow suit," says Sherhonda Allen, Bryant’s editor.

Bryant, a Summer 1999 Scholar at The Greenville (S.C.) News and Summer 2000 Scholar at The Birmingham (Ala.) News, and 18 other Chips Quinn alums are full-time reporters, photographers and copy editors at newspapers as part of a fellowship program developed and funded by the Freedom Forum in partnership with the American Society of Newspaper Editors and the Associated Press Managing Editors.

As ASNE/APME Fellows, these Chips alums work at newspapers under 75,000 circulation, helping diversify small- to mid-size newspaper newsrooms while deepening their abilities by covering front-page stories such as racial issues in a school district and the destructive side of gambling.

"Our fellows are mastering the basics and flexing their wings, developing the foundation every journalist needs to excel," says Cindy Stiff, career coach for the program.

The Freedom Forum funds the $1 million partnership and provides coaching and mentoring to fellows and their editors. The program, which has placed fellows in newspapers across the country, provides a $20,000 stipend over two years on top of the salary paid by the newspaper. Fellows have full-time, permanent jobs, with all the responsibilities and benefits of any other employee.

"I’ve interned in bureaus at daily newspapers larger than the whole staff at The Albuquerque (N.M.) Tribune," says Jennifer Sanchez, higher-education reporter and a 1999 Scholar. "I love it. If you work at a smaller paper, you’ll get to work on more and better stories. You hit Page One more than anyone at a bureau at a larger paper."

Bryant found the smaller community of Florence easier to get to know than a larger one. "I have been able to get a grasp of the people on my beat and form relationships easier," he says.

As an example, when he became concerned about mainstreaming people of color into the news, he talked about the problem with his managing editor. "I made a personal commitment to improve this," he says.

Covering issues that matter

Jennifer Perez, a Summer 2001 Scholar at the Great Falls (Mont.) Tribune who later joined the newspaper full time, also looks for stories on issues that concern her heritage. She is a regional reporter whose coverage area includes her own Assiniboine reservation. In Spring 2002, she traveled to the Blackfeet reservation where winds, snow and rain caused major damage. Her front-page story won an award. When she covered the complex Ojibwa sovereignty summit, she wrote a front-page centerpiece about the tribe’s historical plight.

"My writing has vastly improved," Perez says, "but I want to keep finding new writing styles and approaches to stories."

Mandi Torrez, a Spring 2001 Scholar, looks for creative ways to approach her high school sports beat at The Island Packet in Hilton Head, S.C. As part of the mentoring provided by the fellows program, Torrez’s work was reviewed by a USA TODAY sports editor. "He gave me very helpful feedback," Torrez says.

She says she chose to be part of the fellows program because she wanted time to find her voice.

"I thought it would be easier to experiment with different styles at a smaller paper, especially when I’m one of ‘the stars’ of the newspaper," she says. "I also chose the program because of the people involved. I had such a great Chips Quinn experience and learned so much from so many helpful people that I knew it would be a comfort to start my first job with the same people behind me, being concerned and helping me learn about journalism and life in general."

Patrina Bostic’s front-page stories at the Longview (Texas) News-Journal have included a Valentine’s Day piece on a healthy baby born to a mother diagnosed with leukemia. For a story about a 16-year-old accused of killing two convenience-store clerks, Bostic, a Summer 1999 Scholar, interviewed about 25 people. She had to be selective to write a compelling story.

"I completed this story feeling that there is no limit to what I can accomplish with a little confidence, boldness and compassion," she says.

Finding many opportunities

Erica Pippins, a Summer 1999 Scholar, covers schools at The Herald in Rock Hill, N.C., but she also gets a chance to handle a variety of stories, including such intriguing subjects as the "pig palace on wheels" about a traveling barbecue truck. Pippins plans to go into newspaper management, so she also has taken the opportunity to substitute as a city-desk editor.

"It is amazing to me that my initial role as general-assignment reporter grew into having one of the key beats at the newspaper -- education -- and that I also have had the opportunity to edit on the city desk," Pippins says. "Because my editors have had faith in my abilities, I feel that my confidence in myself has increased."

Lashonda Stinson, a Summer 2000 Scholar and now city-government reporter at the Ocala (Fla.) Star-Banner, calls the benefits of a small paper "amazing."

"At a bigger paper, you will feel like a tadpole in the ocean, and in some cases an ocean filled with sharks. But at a smaller publication, your opportunities for growth, development and success triple. You get to do more challenging stories and pitch story ideas that will actually make the paper. In the long run, I think you can make a bigger difference at a smaller paper," she says.

Kristin Boyd, a Spring 2002 Scholar, sought a full-time position within a day’s drive of her Pennsylvania home. She took a job at the Lebanon (Pa.) Daily News, less than an hour from her hometown. Her editors believe that her knowledge of the area makes her more valuable.

"The benefits of working at a small newspaper include one-on-one attention and help from editors, learning (on a small scale) how to garner stories from your beat and gaining well-rounded work and writing experiences," she says.

Boyd says the (taxable) stipend is helpful, too. "The $20,000 allows me to repay my school loans in full by the end of the two-year program," she says. "I can enter adulthood debt-free."

Keala Murdock, a Summer 2000 Scholar, admits she faces challenges as a business reporter at the Savannah (Ga.) Morning News. "But then I dust off my knees, stand up and thank my heavenly stars that I have a support system of my family at the Freedom Forum."

She has discovered the importance of speaking up when she doesn’t agree with an editor’s decision. "To not only speak up, but to speak effectively," she says. "I am finding every opportunity to learn how to communicate effectively, whether in a news meeting or with editors or reporters or photographers."

‘Getting experience I wanted’

Kierra Young, a Summer 2001 Scholar, was named a fellow just before she graduated, but it took several weeks to find a position as a copy editor. Then suddenly she had three offers. She selected The Gaston Gazette in Gastonia, N.C.

Her news editor, Lou Corsaro, says Young has been quick to learn the newspaper’s style and computer system. "Kierra’s biggest success has been picking up the way things are done at the paper," he says. "She has taken on a lot of responsibility quickly, and already is designing our Hometown section, something that normally doesn’t happen for quite a long time."

Sue Stock

Sue Stock, a Summer 2000 Scholar and now business reporter at the Lansing (Mich.) State Journal, says, "I’m definitely getting the experience I wanted.

"I’ve compared notes with some friends who went to bigger newspapers, and they aren’t getting close to the experience or attention I’m getting. Whereas my copy makes the newspaper a lot and I get to write large centerpieces and enterprise stories, my friends at large papers are writing small daily stories that get cut to fit. Many of them also are working out of bureaus, which they constantly complain about. I love being in the main newsroom, and I love being a real contributor."

Gelasia Croom, a Summer 2000 Scholar, says she may be a rookie, but her ideas count at The Wilson Daily Times in North Carolina. "The benefit of working for a small paper is one key thing: Opportunity," she says. "You're given the opportunity to take on responsibilities that you may not get at a large paper. For the last year and a half, my experience at The Wilson Daily Times has been wonderful."

Croom doesn’t sugarcoat her experience. "Being either the only or one of just a few minorities at the paper, you will encounter some negative attitudes as people around you learn to adjust to your being there," she says. "Also, you will have to give the community time to adjust to your being there, and that includes members of your own ethnicity."

Still, Croom has developed stories that involve African Americans, including a first-person article on a program of African-American jazz and modern dance. She says the smaller community makes her more visible both as a journalist and as a journalist of color.

Pippins will be among the first fellows to complete the two-year program, and she plans to remain in her position at the Rock Hill newspaper.

"I cannot believe that my fellowship will be complete this month," she says. "I would encourage other Chipsters to not only utilize the network, but to tell other people about the Freedom Forum programs. A student at the local college interned at The Herald last Summer and asked me about the fellows program. I explained how my involvement with Chips Quinn led to the fellowship. This summer, she was a Chipster!"

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