Decade of Excellence

A Decade ofEXCELLENCE

During the first decade of the 21st century, students in the College of Communications havecompiled record-breaking performances in two

major national competitions.

In both the WilliamRandolph HearstFoundation’s JournalismAwards Program and the Dow Jones NewsFund EditingInternship Program,Penn State studentshave consistently rankedamong the nation’sleaders.

In the Hearst competition, Penn State is the onlyprogram in the country to rank in the top five ofboth the intercollegiate writing and intercolle-giate broadcast news during the first decade ofthe 21st century. In the Dow Jones program,Penn State has had more students—63—accept-ed for internships than all but one other school.

These competitions provide just one measure ofsuccess for the College, and it comes as a resultof collaboration and planning by faculty andstaff and, of course, the standout efforts of ourstudents. The pages of this special section pro-vide some insights and memories from thoseinvolved in Penn State’s performances.

Previous top-10 placewinners in the Hearst Journalism Awards Program include (left to right):Rachelle Santoro, Brian Chapman, Lauren Antonelli and Wade Malcolm. (Photo by Steve Manuel)

PENN STATE COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATIONS: A Decade of Excellence

The College of Communications is the only program in the countryto finish in the top-five standings in intercollegiate writing and inter-collegiate broadcast news in the William Randolph HearstFoundation’s Journalism Awards Program for the first decade of the21st century.The Hearst competition often is called “the Pulitzers of college jour-

nalism.”The standings are based on total points accumulated in each of the

competitions during the 10-year period from contest year 2000-2001through 2009-2010 by the country’s 110 nationally accredited pro-grams.Penn State finished fourth in both competitions.During the 10-year period, students in the College earned 127 indi-

vidual top-20 awards in the intercollegiate writing, broadcast, photo-journalism and multimedia competitions, with 62 of the finishes inthe top 10.All top-10 student winners received scholarships from the Hearst

Foundation, with matching grants awarded to the College.“The mark of a strong program is to excel—year after year—in

prestigious national competitions,” Doug Anderson, dean of theCollege, said. “We are particularly proud of the successes our studentshave enjoyed in the Hearst competition through this century’s firstdecade.”John Beale, a senior lecturer who coordinates the College’s photo-

journalism entries, agreed.“Penn State students are proud to have the opportunity to represent

their University in the Hearst competition,” he said. “They know thatonly the very best journalism is submitted for consideration. It’s satis-fying to see the quality work produced by our visual journalism stu-dents recognized on a national level.”The Hearst Journalism Awards Program, now in its 50th year, is

conducted under the auspices of the 110 accredited units of theAssociation of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication and isfunded by the Hearst Foundation, which provides more than$550,000 in scholarships, matching grants and stipends each year.From 2000-2001 through 2009-2010, Penn State finished in the

top-10 in the final Hearst intercollegiate writing standings nine times,tied for second-most top-10 finishes in the country.From 2000-2001 through 2009-2010, Penn State also finished in

the top-10 in the final Hearst intercollegiate broadcast standings ninetimes, tied for second-most top-10 finishes in the country.“For the past decade, I have seen the quality of our students’ radio

work continue to rise, and the Hearst competition has served as anexcellent barometer of that achievement,” Bob Richards, the Curleyprofessor of First Amendment studies and coordinator of radio entries,said. “It has been tremendously useful to see our radio news studentsmeasure up against other top students nationwide.“As far as student broadcast competitions are concerned, Hearst is

the bellwether. “If our radio students fare well in Hearst, I know they will do well

in the regional student and professional competitions.”Thor Wasbotten, assistant dean for student media and online opera-

tions and coordinator of television entries, said: “Our students lookforward to competing in Hearst more than in any other competition.They know they will face the best student reporters in the country,and they want to prove that they belong. In recent years, our television

students have consistently finished in the top-10. Not only do our stu-dents belong with the best, they are now helping set the standard forstudent reporters everywhere.”Penn State’s total top-10 finishes in intercollegiate writing and inter-

collegiate broadcasting—18—during the decade stand as the most ofany school in the country.“I’m pleased with our consistency,” Anderson said. “And to fare so

well in both writing and broadcasting is a testament to our balance.”During the 10-year contest period, the Hearst Foundation awarded

Penn State scholarships, stipends and matching grants totaling$143,000.

Results: Alone with Top-5 Finishes in Broadcast, Writing

Cumulative standings from 2000-01 through 2009-10—the21st century’s first decade—based on total points scored inmonthly competitions.

INTERCOLLEGIATE WRITING1. Northwestern....................................................................2,7842. Missouri ...........................................................................2,0863. Kansas..............................................................................1,9954. PENN STATE ...................................................1,9225. Nebraska ..........................................................................1,6116. Arizona State ....................................................................1,5457. Indiana .............................................................................1,5028. North Carolina ..................................................................1,2909. Iowa .................................................................................1,27910. Kentucky.........................................................................1,200

INTERCOLLEGIATE BROADCAST1. Arizona State ....................................................................2,0832. Syracuse...........................................................................2,0283. North Carolina ..................................................................1,9224. PENN STATE ...................................................1,4875. Florida ..............................................................................1,4766. Northwestern....................................................................1,1707. Brigham Young.................................................................1,1008. Western Kentucky ............................................................1,0389. Montana ...........................................................................1,02510. Nebraska ...........................................................................921

Total top-10 yearly finishes in intercollegiate writingand intercollegiate broadcast standingsfor the first 10 years of the 21st century.

1. PENN STATE .......................................................182. Northwestern ........................................................................173. Arizona State .........................................................................164 (tie). Missouri ........................................................................144 (tie). North Carolina ...............................................................14

HEARST FOUNDATIONJOURNALISM AWARDS PROGRAM


Reflections: Director, Dean, Participants Share MemoriesJAN WATTEN,Program Director,Hearst Journalism Awards Program

This year marks the Hearst JournalismAwards Program’s 50th anniversary, and wehave much to celebrate. The program hasgrown and changed over the past half century,but what has remained constant is its enduringpurpose—to inspire excellence in journalismeducation and to encourage undergraduates topursue careers in journalism.

In 1960, Randolph A.Hearst designed theJournalism AwardsProgram with the partici-pation of administratorsfrom the Association ofSchools of Journalism andMass Communication. Since then, the program

has expanded from sixwriting competitions to 14 competitions thatinclude photojournalism, broadcast news andmultimedia. Fifty years ago, 46 accredited schools were

eligible to participate—and now there are 110accredited schools across the country eligibleto enter the competitions. Each year the pro-gram awards up to $550,000 in stipends andscholarships to students and matching grantsto schools.Today, the Journalism Awards Program reg-

ularly exceeds 1,000 entries in the totalmonthly competitions. Our panel of profes-sional judges continues to be impressed by thequality of work submitted by entrants fromthe country’s best journalism schools. Penn State’s College of Communications is

a model participant in the program. Over thepast decade, under the leadership of DeanDoug Anderson, Penn State journalism stu-dents have entered every Hearst monthly com-petition offered—a feat unrivaled by any otherparticipating journalism school. Penn State’s students consistently enter stel-

lar work and excel in our program. As a result,Penn State ranks in the top 10 of the Hearstintercollegiate competition—which is basedon the students’ collective success—year afteryear.The legacy of Randolph Hearst continues

on with the Journalism Awards Program andthrough the students at Penn State.

DOUG ANDERSON,Dean, College of Communications

The five-minute telephone conversationtook place 20 years ago, but I remember it asif it were yesterday.I was then the director of Arizona State’s

Walter Cronkite School of Journalism andTelecommunication—and I was on theBrigham Young University campus in Provo,Utah, conducting an external review of itsmass communications program.When I returned to my hotel room late in

the afternoon, I called my office to check in. My assistant, Norma Kennedy, told me

that I needed to return a call to Jan Watten,director of the Hearst Foundation’sJournalism Awards Program in SanFrancisco.I immediately called—and Jan said she

was pleased to tell me that the CronkiteSchool had captured first place in the 1989-1990 intercollegiate writing championships.I had known we were in the running, but

I had not expected us to win. I was ecstatic,and I took even greater pride in the newswhen I learned that we had edgedNorthwestern’s Medill School of Journalism,which finished second, and Missouri, whichwas third.We were an up-and-coming program at

ASU—and, suddenly, we found ourselvesamong the blue bloods in this prestigiousnational competition. We received our first-place gold medallion

and cash award at a meeting of theAssociation of Schools of Journalism andMass Communication in late April in LosAngeles.I remember well the firm handshake of

Randolph A. Hearst, president of theWilliam Randolph Hearst Foundation andboard chairman of the Hearst Corporation,when he presented the check.He said that the cash prizes “recognize

each year those colleges and universitieswhich distinguish themselves among theirpeers.”I recall the adrenaline rush. What never

occurred to me at the time, though, was this:that exciting moment would actually turnout to be the first of many I would experi-ence with the Hearst contest, which wasthen celebrating its 30th anniversary.We went on to enjoy many rewarding

Hearst experiences at ASU throughout the1990s. And now I feel doubly blessed tohave watched the ear-to-ear smiles of morethan 125 Penn State students who haveearned Hearst contest individual places overthe past 10 years.The Hearst Journalism Awards Program

will observe—indeed, celebrate—its 50thanniversary this June in New York City.It’s a marvelous program, and I’m not

embarrassed to say that I feel the same senseof excitement and satisfaction today whenour students excel in it that I did when JanWatten gave me the great news two decadesago.


Penn State has been well represented in the 21st centu-ry’s first decade at the Hearst Journalism Awards Program’sindividual championships.Each year, 24 students—from the approximate 1,000

who enter the competition throughout the academicyear—qualify for the championships held in June: eightin writing, six in photo, five in radio and five in televi-sion.Seven students from the College of

Communications—by virtue of their top performances inthe individual monthly competitions—earned spots in thefinals during the past 10 years: Ryan Hockensmith inwriting, 2001; Alexa James in writing, 2002; BobViscount in radio, 2003; Halle Stockton in writing, 2007;Angela Haupt in writing, 2008; Aaron Patterson in televi-sion, 2008; and Andrew McGill in writing, 2008 and2010.One of them, Halle Stockton, captured first place in

2007, and another, Andrew McGill, won second place in2008.During the first nine years of the decade, the individ-

ual championships were held in San Francisco. In 2010,in observance of the contest’s golden anniversary, they willbe held in New York City.

RYAN HOCKENSMITH, 2001

When I arrived at the Hearst individual champi-onships, the only thing I could say for awhile was,“Wow.” San Francisco, Alcatraz, great student journalists

everywhere, a competitive environment—it reallywas a culmination of everything I ever hoped forfrom going to college. I didn’t yet have my degree,but this felt like a graduation of sorts. I really believethat there’s no better place in the country to get real-world journalism experience than Penn State. Fromsports to culture, the environment at PSU gives a young reporter everyopportunity to find his or her calling.So I got to the finals of the Hearst competition because of the

opportunity provided to me by my College. But when I got to SanFrancisco, I was reminded that there’s a world outside of my own.I may have been a solid sports reporter in State College, Pa., but I

was now among some of the nation’s best young writers, from diversebackgrounds, in another time zone and climate, covering varied topics.This was the first big stage I’d ever been on.

And, for the most part, I whiffed.I didn’t win. I didn’t even place in the top three, out of eight. When

the winners were announced, and I wasn’t among them, I went back tomy hotel room and wrote myself a note. I carry the note around to thisday. It reads something like this: “Congratulations on winning awards for your writing and going to

San Francisco for the finals of a major competition. But don’t forgetwhat happened while you were there. You need to always do yourhomework—when you sit down with the director of the Sierra Club,know what the Kyoto Protocol entails and why it was on the frontpage of every newspaper that week. You must improve your writing—quote, transition, quote isn’t a story formula, it’s a copout to meet adeadline. Mostly, you need to grow. Take what you’ve accomplishedand be proud. Take what you didn’t accomplish and go to work. Youknow enough from this experience to never have to write another apol-ogy note to yourself again.”Almost 10 years later, I’m proud to say I haven’t had to.

Ryan is an associate editor at ESPN The Magazine. He joined the mag-azine as an intern in 2001.


HALLE STOCKTON, 2007

The moment right before the announcer revealed the winner of theHearst national writing championship was a life high—and hopefullythe closest I’ll ever get to having a heart attack.

But participating in the William RandolphHearst Foundation’s Journalism Awards Programwas much more than an adrenaline rush. All writ-ers, photographers, radio and television reportersare forced to step out of their comfort zone andshowcase their talent in an unfamiliar setting. It is atest of applying the basics with flair.The competition requires each person to push

his or her skill to the next level. It is an exciting butintimidating challenge to search for a style orunique story that will make your work stand out

among a pool of highly talented peers.It’s really not the plaques or certificates that stay with you after the

trip to San Francisco. The knowledge that you can be thrown into aforeign location and still succeed at your chosen craft is the real gift. Itallows you to confidently tackle new challenges as you finish schooland find a job in your profession.The College of Communications and Penn State’s many student-

run media outlets cannot go unnoticed in the University’s accomplish-ments this decade. Without the fundamentals taught by caring, talent-ed advisers and professors, and realistic experience, this long-term suc-cess would not have been realized.

Halle, who works for the Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune/New YorkTimes regional media group as a staff writer, holds her national champi-onship award in 2007 flanked by judges Stephen Buckley of the St.Petersburg Times (left) and Pat Andrews of the Miami Herald.

ALEXA JAMES, 2002

I don’t remember who won the Hearst writing championships inSan Francisco in 2002. Obviously, it wasn’t me. I can’t recall the list ofguest speakers or even the name of that luxurious hotel in San

Francisco. The Palace something?What I do remember, to this day, are the words,

pictures and sounds of great reporting. Hearsttaught me that journalism isn’t about my bigbyline or anyone else’s. Journalism is about a teamof professionals committed to a craft that is far big-ger than any one person or news outlet.Though the Hearst experience is fueled by com-

petition, it also encourages cooperation and men-torship. Rookie reporters from schools nationwidemake fast friends with seasoned professionals and

industry leaders. Contestants from print, television, photo and radiomingle throughout the championships, reminding everyone that jour-nalism’s future relies on its ability to adapt and to communicate acrossmedia.I arrived in San Francisco as a brand new Penn State graduate try-

ing to win a big contest [I admit it: the finalist trophy is perched onmy bookshelf.] But I left the Hearst championships, a few days later,as a more selfless journalist, one with a stronger understanding of andcommitment to the well-being of our craft.

Alexa recently accepted a position in Afghanistan as a foreign affairsspecialist with the U.S. Department of Defense. She was scheduled todeploy in May. Her first journalism job was with the Baltimore Sun.

BOB VISCOUNT, 2003

I remember how extraordinary I felt when arriving in San Franciscowith the other finalists to compete. It really felt like a big deal. I wasnervous and excited and ready to get to it.

After getting our assignments, the next 24 hoursfelt like a bit of a blur. I was in an unfamiliar citywith no contacts and only a few working hours toget my facts and interviews for the story. So I did my best, and it all came together in the

end. I didn't place in the top three, but being inthat situation taught me how to use my reportingskills and creativity when I started out at my firstjob in a new city with no contacts.After working as a television

reporter/anchor/photographer for three years, Imade a career change. I’ve been working in pharmaceutical sales sinceJuly 2006.

Bob’s first job in journalism after college was as a reporter for WHIZ-TV, an NBC affiliate in Zanesville, Ohio. He’s currently a pharmaceuticalrepresentative for AstraZeneca in Baltimore.


ANGELA HAUPT, 2008

The 2008 Hearst championship in San Francisco was more thanjust a contest. On a personal level, it was my first cross-country trip,the culmination of a lot of hard work and perhaps my proudestmoment yet.

It was the chance to compete against—and,more importantly, get to know—seven other writ-ing finalists. On our first night in San Francisco,we received our spot assignment: a story on “goinggreen” in the city. We all felt the same adrenalinerush and the same nerves about venturing into anunknown city, and we bonded quickly over thekinds of conversation that only journalists wouldunderstand.

I ultimately reported on Green Dog Walks, a local initiative thatpromotes sustainable dog walking, thus preventing erosion and loss ofvegetation.Our experiences, however, transcended reporting challenges. We

networked with our esteemed judges and faculty members, and weexplored the city. We also enjoyed a dinner overlooking the PacificOcean at dusk. That night, I remember posing for a photograph with a group of

Penn Staters—including Dean Anderson, Professor Bob Richards andtwo fellow contestants—and feeling a sense of awe, and pride, that oursuccess had taken us across the country together.

Angela is a freelance reporter for Newsday on Long Island, N.Y.

AARON PATTERSON, 2008

The first night in San Francisco at the Hearst championships I real-ized I was in for a challenge. I knew it was a competition, but just afew hours after getting off the plane I was in a room with a news exec-

utive from Hearst-Argyle and the other four stu-dent television news finalists. I really wasn’t sure how I would stack up com-

ing from central Pennsylvania. But as I looked around that table at the other

finalists I saw the same mix of excitement and trep-idation on all their faces as we received the assign-ment. There was a moment of “Can I really dothis?” But after a night of scouting locationsonline and little sleep, I found that once I got acamera in my hands it was as if I had never left

State College—except, of course, for the traffic and that big red bridgein the background.My Hearst experience was amazing. Being there is like being in the

best newsrooms and universities in the country at the same time.It’s a gathering of talented veteran journalists, faculty and young

professionals. Penn State gave me the tools to get there, and I wasn’talone; that year we had three Nittany Lions at the championships!

Aaron works as a research support manager at Blue Heron ResearchPartners, a company he joined immediately after graduation that conductsresearch about companies for investors.

ANDREW McGILL, 2008 and 2010

In the Hearst national news writing championships, there’s nowarning. There’s just the assignment—that and the no-nonsenseunderstanding that if you don’t complete it on time, you might as wellget on a plane and go home.That’s how I found myself during the 2008 championships in an

abandoned Navy base on the San Francisco Bay, cautiously followingthe wild-haired man in front of me to his garden. He was a formerSouth American journalist who followed his daughter north toCalifornia and was now eking out a living selling the rich, dark soil hecomposted along this stretch of waterfront. I had spoken to him forthe first time that morning. Now, I was writing his story.That’s the pace of the competition.You find out your spot-news topic the night before—in my case, it

was “Going Green in San Francisco.” You report and write the storythe next day. It’s a breakneck pace that seems destined to lead to fail-ure. It’s also one of the most exhilarating challenges a young reportercould hope for.The composter showed me his soil, drove me around Oakland, bid

me farewell. I took the subway back to our hotel, wrote my lead in aStarbucks next door and spent the night typing out the rest. It’s saidthat when someone is given a challenge, he rises to the occasion.Hearst is proof of that.

Andrew, a senior who graduated with honors in May, has accepted aposition as a reporter at The Morning Call in Allentown, Pa. (Photo byJohn Beale)


With 63 of its students earning Dow Jones News Fund editinginternships during the 21st century’s first decade, the College ofCommunications stands second only to the University of Missouri’sSchool of Journalism for total placements.DJNF internships, which involve a training residency followed by

10-week paid internships at newspapers such as The New York Times,The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post and at news organiza-tions such as ESPN.com, AccuWeather and the Center forInvestigative Reporting, are considered the gold standard for journal-ism internships. Students who complete the internship also receive a scholarship

from the Fund.Hundreds of students from colleges and universities across the

United States apply each year by taking an exam, writing an essay, andsubmitting their grades and resumes to the Fund. Those who pass thetest—a tough combination of language precision, current events, geog-raphy and editing—are then vetted by a panel of editing professorsand news professionals. Roughly one in five applicants each year lands a coveted internship.This summer, 10 Penn State students, nearly half of those from the

College who applied, were selected. That put Penn State well ahead ofall other programs that place a strong emphasis on editing, such asMissouri, Kansas, Central Florida and Nebraska.Almost every summer since 2001, Penn State has been in the top

five for placements.Students who land these internships have completed the College’s

news editing course, an upper-division class required for journalismmajors that emphasizes the nuts and bolts of editing. Department ofJournalism faculty members John Dillon and Marie Hardin also over-see the College’s efforts to prepare students for the application process.Students interested in applying get extra drills in current events andlanguage-precision topics. Students who have completed DJNF internships help sell the

opportunity to their classmates and so does Richard Holden, executive

director of the Fund, who visits editing classes each fall. “Every year the selection is greeted with great deal of excitement

among our journalism students,” Hardin said. “Students know what aNews Fund internship means: A terrific summer, lifelong friendships,invaluable contacts in the industry and an unparalleled learning experi-ence.”Of the 63 College of Communications students who have earned

DJNF internships since 2001, a handful have attended the editing“boot camp” offered at Penn State. The College is among six training sites for interns, and it receives an

annual grant from the Fund to run the workshop. Other on-campussites are at Missouri, Texas, Temple, Nebraska (with a focus on sports)and Western Kentucky (with an emphasis on multimedia editing).Penn State is responsible for training interns who report to about adozen news organizations around the United States.Dillon and Hardin direct the boot camp, and faculty from the

College’s journalism department provide instruction on a variety oftopics, including multimedia editing and legal and ethical issues foreditors. Holden and editors from news organizations also pitch in. Students

receive instruction from legendary editors such as Gene Foreman,retired managing editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer and foundingdirector of Penn State’s DJNF residency, and William Connolly, retiredNew York Times senior editor and co-author of the Times’ style andusage manual. “It’s intense training, and the opportunity to be in contact with and

learn from some of journalism’s best editors adds a lot to the experi-ence,” Dillon said.Connolly challenges interns with a series of tough language-preci-

sion drills and a case study that requires students to dissect "big-pic-ture" problems in a story.“The visit to Happy Valley is an annual treat, in no small part

because the students are always bright, engaged and engaging,”Connolly said.

Results: 63 Placements in DJNF Among Nation’s Best

DOW JONES SELECTIONS (2005-2010)

2010� Tamara Conrad, White Plains Journal News� Kirstie Hettinga, AccuWeather� Amanda Hofmockel, California Watch� David Miniaci, The New York Post� Alexandra Petri, Cape Cod Times� Diana Rodriguez, White Plains Journal News

� Dan Rorabaugh, Hartford Courant� Erin Shields, Washington Times� Rossilyne Skena, Palm Beach Post� Chad Uddstrom, Bay Area News Group

2009� Marissa Carl, Wall Street Journal� Arianna Davis, New York Daily News� Kathryn Dvorak, Naples Daily News� Phenola Lawrence, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette� David Reinbold, Charleston Gazette� Emily Sher, New York Times News Service

2008� Kristen Huth, Virginian-Pilot� Michael James, White Plains Journal News� Kimberly Meyer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette� Heather Hottle, Pocono Record� Alexandra Petri, New Bedford Standard Times

2007� Lauren Bootier, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review� Kim Cicconi, Sarasota Herald-Tribune� Christopher Ednie, Medford Mail Tribune� Sarah Goldfarb, Argus Leader� Martin Gutman, Hartford Courant� Alex Muller, Kankakee Daily Journal� Jennifer Shew, St. Petersburg Times

2006� Lauren Antonelli, Virginian Pilot� Sarah Goldfarb, Roanoke Times� Jennette C. Hannah, Newsday� Justine Maki, Indianapolis Star

2005� Hannah Aboul-Hosn, Houston Chronicle� Neil Barbour, (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) Sun News� Michael Catalini, Buffalo News� Joanna Citrinbaum, Palm Beach Post� Brandon Linton, Santa Cruz Sentinel� Laura Michalski, Virginian Pilot� Jeanette Schreiber, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

� David Simon, Erie Times News� Sean Smyth, Naples Daily News� Paul Weinstein, Indianapolis Star� Megan Wolf, Portsmouth Herald

RICHARD HOLDEN,Executive Director,Dow Jones News Fund

My friends at Penn State kiddingly tell methat the only reason I visit the campus fre-quently is to stock up on Peachy Paterno icecream from the creamery.Well, that’s not the only reason. First and foremost, I visit because I find

meeting with the students and faculty inter-esting and stimulating. I’m most impressed bythe importance placed on editing, the dedica-tion of the faculty and the interest shown bythe students in this “lost art.”Years ago, Gene Foreman invited me to

visit the campus and discuss with studentswhat the Dow Jones News Fund had to offer.After that initial visit, it became clear that if

we ever had an opportuni-ty to set up another of our“centers for editing excel-lence” it would be at PennState.That opportunity

became a reality in 2004when the OttawayNewspapers group ofDow Jones & Co.rejoined our intern training program. Theresults have been outstanding.The editing triumvirate of first Gene

Foreman, then Marie Hardin and mostrecently John Dillon have produced outstand-ing interns. With Dean Doug Anderson bat-ting cleanup, we’ve hit a grand slam.Students from universities around the

country come to the Penn State training site,

and their comments about the quality of thetraining, the campus and the community areuniformly positive.Bill Connolly, a retired senior editor of The

New York Times, joins me on my visits to theintern “boot camp” every summer. He sharesmy enthusiasm and respect for the job thatthe faculty does in preparing the interns forwork as editors on copy desks and websitesfor a dozen or more organizations.I’ve spent the past 18 years visiting univer-

sities around the country. Of all the colleges,schools, divisions and departments of journal-ism and mass communications that I havehad the pleasure of seeing, none is better thanPenn State.I’m looking forward to my next visit this

summer, and just maybe a half gallon ofPeachy Paterno ice cream.


PROFESSOR GENE FOREMAN

In the decade that Penn State has been a part of the DJNF program,our students have succeeded to a degree that could hardly have beenimagined in the spring of 1999.That semester, so few students signed up for COMM 467 News

Editing that the course’s only section had to be canceled.It turns out that all they needed was a little push.

Two things happened during the 1999-2000 aca-demic year. One was that our new dean, Doug Anderson,

thought the editing course deserved more facultyemphasis, and he said so. The other was that we looked at DJNF and

decided that there was nothing not to like about it:a national competition in which excellence wouldbe recognized, two weeks of intense training at acampus site, a paying job for the summer, and amodest scholarship for students returning in the

fall. We wanted our students to have that opportunity.The problem was that nobody on the faculty had any familiarity

with DJNF. I decided to put in a phone call to DJNF Executive Director Rich

Holden. To my delight, the affable Rich proved to be a fan of PennState. He eagerly accepted the invitation to visit the campus and giveour editing students his splendid lecture/practical exercise on math injournalism. In his inimitable way, he also kindled enthusiasm forbecoming DJNFers.As professors urged their print-journalism students to enroll in

COMM 467, the course soon was adding sections. Once in the editingclass, students were signing up to take the national written test thatnarrows the field for the prestigious DJNF internships.In the summer of 2001, two Penn State students were among the

more than 100 winners nationally.In the summer of 2002, four Penn State students won.And in the summer of 2003, there were five.We were just getting started. The program really picked up momentum in the fall semester of

2003, when Marie Hardin joined the faculty as an assistant professorof journalism. Marie came with an extensive network of contacts inDJNF, having been an associate director of one of the DJNF summerboot camps in Florida.Her networking paid off the next summer when nine Penn State

students won internships—and when Penn State was chosen as one ofthe boot-camp sites where DJNF winners from around the countrypractice their editing skills for two weeks before going to their summerjobs. We’ve run a boot camp every year since then.During the decade, news editing has become one of five courses

required of print-journalism students at Penn State (the others arebasic and advanced reporting, news media law, and news media ethics). The goal has been to expose these students—most of whom are

heading for jobs as reporters—to a set of skills that augments whatthey learn in their reporting classes. In news editing, they look at newsstories the way editors do. They analyze the content, applying newsjudgment; and they examine the copy in detail, applying the disci-plines of style and grammar. They also learn about newspaper and webdesign.As their semester in COMM 467 progresses, it’s not unusual for

some of the students to decide that editing is their future.Especially for these aspiring editors, DJNF offers a great summer

experience and a resumé entry guaranteed to get an employer’s atten-tion.And, as the DJNF competition has demonstrated, these Penn

Staters are among the best in the country. We should have known thatall along.

Reflections: Faculty Prowess, Program’s Commitment Key


PROFESSOR MARIE HARDIN

While Penn State has built a decade of experience with the NewsFund, I, too, reached my own 10-year milestone with the program lastyear. Although I didn’t arrive here until 2003, my first summer as aninstructor for DJNF was in 1999, during a training residency (we oftencall them “boot camps”) at Virginia Commonwealth University.That’s also when I met Rich Holden, executive director of the pro-

gram, who has been a trusted friend and mentor since that day. In2000, I became associate director of the DJNF residency at FloridaSouthern College in Lakeland, Fla. The department there was small,and none of the other faculty had an editing background. I reliedmostly on professional editors to supplement my instruction.Of course, that wasn’t the case when I arrived at Penn State. We

have a wealth of editors-turned-teachers on our faculty. I quickly beganto tap this resource, and journalism faculty members have become reg-ulars at our annual residency. Curt Chandler, Curtis Chan, ChrisRitchie and Judy Maltz have taught from their areas of expertise, suchas new media (Chandler) and editing business stories (Maltz). Faculty member John Dillon brings an especially valuable mix of

skills and experience to our DJNF efforts. John joined our faculty in2007 after three decades at the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Richmond,Va., where he served as deputy managing editor for metro news andVirginia news. He oversaw 65 reporters and editors covering local and

state news. For 15 years, he also recruited newsroom interns and man-aged the paper’s internship program.Soon after John arrived at Penn State, I invited him to become

involved with our residency. He started as an instructor and last sum-mer moved to assistant director duties. This year, he is co-director,overseeing all instruction during the eight-day boot camp. During thefall, he directed our efforts to prepare our students for the DJNF test,and his coaching paid off with one of the College’s largest DJNF class-es: 10 students. I am excited about what John will do with the residency. Obviously,

he is experienced and well connected to editors across the country. Infact, his experience in dealing with the Dow Jones News Fund goesback nearly 20 years. He knows what editors are looking for in goodinterns, and he knows what kind of training is most effective.But he is also resourceful and innovative. For instance, when we

were looking for ways to expand our reach into new media, John sug-gested we contact AccuWeather – a media operation based in StateCollege. I called an alumnus there, and the company quickly came onboard. John has also used his network of contacts to reach out to othernew-media ventures. I am convinced there are two reasons for Penn State’s continuing

success in DJNF placements: top-notch students and dedicated, experi-enced faculty. The reason for Penn State’s continuing success as a resi-dency, though, is singular: our faculty.


STEVE BIEN-AIME´

I am one of the lucky few to receive an editing and a businessreporting internship through the Dow Jones News Fund. Having thatbrand on my resume´ helped me attain quality jobs.

Since graduation I have worked in three cities,and I am amazed at how many News Fund alumnihave made big impacts in journalism. Also, onedoesn’t make a lot of true friends in this industry,but I will always have a special relationship withthe colleagues I met in training.The genius of the program is the boot camps

that prepare students for internships. The instruc-tors and volunteers work so hard to make sure theirpupils shine at their news organizations. I don’tthink I can ever repay them for their efforts.

When Penn State began hosting a boot camp in the last decade, Iwas honored to be asked to help. It benefited the students. But I thinkit benefited me more because I love journalism and the News Fund,and it allowed me to pay tribute to both.I don’t know what the future of journalism will be. I do know that

the Dow Jones News Fund will play a big role in it.

Steve, a 2004 graduate, works for FoxSports.com

ARIANNA DAVIS

When I learned about the Dow Jones News Fund internship, I was inan editing class listening to a former DJNF intern talk about herinternship. I couldn’t exactly pinpoint why—because I had a reporting

background with no formal copy editing train-ing—but the challenge of the DJNF “boot camp”and the opportunity to build my editing skills at anewspaper immediately jumped out at me. Eight months later, with the support of my edit-

ing professor and after completing a challengingtest, I found myself at the University of Texas-Austin in boot camp. I quickly learned that I wasthe only copy editing newbie of all of the interns,which was definitely intimidating. As I workedthrough the challenges, however, I found that the

boot camp and education at one of the nation’s largest newspapers, theNew York Daily News, was enough to whip me into shape. I met amazing people and learned an incredible amount about news

and editing through DJNF. I know that I will carry my DJNF experi-ence with me for a lifetime.

Arianna, a 2009 graduate, works as an editorial assistant at O, TheOprah Magazine

RENEE PETRINA

As a Penn State senior, I paid the HUBcopy center $11 to fax a completed editingtest to The Washington Post. The fee was worthit—I got the internship, and I joined the2004 class of the distinguished Dr. Ed Trayes’DJNF boot camp in Philadelphia. (Alumni surprised him with a 25-year

reunion while we were there. At the time, wethought it odd. But today, many of us are stillin touch.)Copy editing took me from State College

to Jacksonville, Fla., to Indianapolis, where Iworked wires while part of a great team.The coolest thing I heard at The

Indianapolis Star? “Great headline” or “Goodwork tonight.”But on July 9, 2009, Gannett called –

another copy editor’s job eliminated. On thestrength of my Penn State and DJNF creden-tials, I joined the journalism faculty at BallState University, in Muncie, Ind.I teach editing (of course!) and more. I’m

now redeveloping our editing syllabus towiden its scope, adding broadcast editing to a

course that already coversprint and online.The coolest thing I hear

these days? The sarcastic,yet honest: “Thanks toyou, Petrina, I edit every-thing now.”I hope Dr. Trayes is

proud.

Renee, who is finishing her master’s degree inthe College, teaches journalism at Ball StateUniversity in Muncie, Ind.


Photos byJessica Quinlan

College of CommunicationsThe Pennsylvania State University

201 Carnegie BuildingUniversity Park, PA 16802

(814) 865-1484http://comm.psu.edu

Documents

Decade of Excellence