Nine Win Collegiate Reporting Prize Trip to Japan

CINCINNATI , March 23 /PRNewswire/ -- The Scripps Howard Foundation today awarded a 10-day journalism study trip to Japan to the nine winners of its annual Roy W. Howard National Collegiate Reporting Competition.

The competition, established in 1984 in cooperation with the Indiana University School of Journalism, honors the memory of the journalist who led Scripps Howard Newspapers from 1922-1953 and United Press International from 1912-1920.

Mike Philipps, president and CEO of the Scripps Howard Foundation, said the prize responds to the need for today's student journalists to better understand international affairs, adding that of the nearly 250,000 American students who study abroad each year, only about 10 percent select a country in Asia.

The expenses-paid trip will be led by Bradley J. Hamm, dean of the journalism school at Indiana University and a Roy W. Howard scholar, who has extensive travel experience throughout Asia. Travel begins June 11 and includes excursions in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hiroshima, site of the first atomic bomb dropped on any city, where events to mark the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II are planned for the students.

"We are honoring the legacy of Roy Howard with this reporting award because he lived a global life as a reporter and editor long before most journalism schools taught about international reporting," said Dr. Hamm. "These young journalists will have the opportunity of a lifetime to learn about the media and culture of Japan."

The nine winners, whose entries represent print, broadcast and online media, were chosen for the high quality of their work, an essay about their interest in international affairs and letters of recommendations. They are:

Renee Bruck, a sophomore journalism major at Franklin College in Indiana, where she is news editor for The Franklin. She has interned at the Indiana Statehouse in 2009 and 2010 and was a participant in the 2010 IRE (Investigative Reporters and Editors) Campus Coverage Project in Phoenix, Ariz.  She has written articles for the New Albany (Ind.) Tribune, Green Banner Publications of Southern Indiana, Mooresville (Ind.) Reporter-Times and Howey Political Report. Bruck is from Scottsburg, Ind.

Caleb Fleming, a junior economics major from Virginia Tech, where he has worked for the Collegiate Times for the past three years as a reporter and news editor. In 2009, he was named National Collegiate Reporter of the Year by the Associated Collegiate Press. Fleming is from Warrenton, Va. 

Elvia Malagon, a junior journalism major at Indiana University, where she is a beat reporter for the Indiana Daily Student. She has covered cultures, police and the city council for the IDS. She has also been a Campus section editor. She has interned at Demotix, a London-based citizen-journalism Web site in the United Kingdom, and the Post-Tribune in Merrillville, Ind. Malagon is from East Chicago, Ind. 

Todd Petty, a junior journalism and English major at The College of New Jersey, where he has worked at The Signal since his freshman year, and served as an assistant features editor for the past two semesters. He has been writing for The Warren Reporter and suite101.com, a network for writers and online magazine, for two years. Petty is from Hackettstown, N.J.

Natalie Podgorski, a junior majoring in broadcast journalism at Arizona State University, where she is a reporter for Cronkite NewsWatch and a multimedia journalist for Mesa Channel 11.  She has interned for KNXV-TV, an ABC affiliate in Phoenix, and for KNOW99, a youth and education cable channel in Phoenix.  Podgorski is from Logan, Utah.

Katy Ralston, a sophomore communication major at Texas A&M University at College Station, where she has worked at The Battalion as a news and enterprise reporter since her freshman year. She also writes for The Invisible Jungle, a student-operated affiliate of National Public Radio.  Ralston is from Rogers, Texas.

Jennifer Siino, a junior journalism major at California State University, Chico, where she holds the top position at the student-run, independent newspaper, The Orion. She has worked for the paper since spring 2008, writing for the entertainment and opinion sections. Siino is from Fair Oaks, Calif.

Elizabeth Sile, a junior journalism and politics major at Ithaca College, has worked on The Ithacan as a news editor and opinion editor. She has interned at the Hartford (Conn.) Courant and Ithaca (N.Y.) Journal, and recently returned from a semester in Dublin, Ireland. This summer she will participate in the American Society of Magazine Editors internship program. Sile is from Rochester, N.Y.

Rebecca Smith, a sophomore print and online journalism major from Elon University, where she has worked at The Pendulum since spring 2009. She served as a senior reporter in the fall of 2009 and as the features editor in spring 2010.  She is also an account executive at Live Oak Communications, a public relations agency at Elon University. Smith is from Raleigh, N.C.

Dedicated to excellence in journalism, the Scripps Howard Foundation (www.scripps.com/foundation) is a leader in industry efforts in journalism education, scholarships, internships, literacy, minority recruitment/development and First Amendment causes. It is the corporate foundation of The E.W. Scripps Company (www.scripps.com), a diverse, 131-year-old media enterprise with interests in television stations, newspapers, local news and information Web sites, and licensing and syndication.

SOURCE Scripps Howard Foundation