Renewed foundation grant supports News21 program

Eighteen journalism students will be able to participate in the Carnegie-Knight News21 program over the next three years, thanks to the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation.

The Carnegie-Knight News21 program brings together talented journalism students from universities across the country to produce in-depth multimedia news projects that cover important issues. The program is headquartered at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

Starting in 2014, a renewed three-year grant will fund six students each year to participate in the Carnegie-Knight News21 program. The students will be selected from the Cronkite School and the University of Oklahoma’s Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. The Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation has supported News21 since 2012.

Robert J. Ross, president and CEO of the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation, said the foundation is thrilled to continue supporting journalism students from both the Cronkite School and the Gaylord School.

“We are proud to invest in the future of journalism with our continued support of News21,” Ross said. “News21 demonstrates the kind of quality journalism that students are capable of doing. We have been impressed by News21’s award-winning projects and the lasting impact it has had on the national discourse.”

This year’s project investigated the enduring battles facing post-9/11 veterans. News21 students documented the plight of veterans as they navigate the often complicated federal bureaucracy for help. The Washington Post, NBCnews.com and The Philadelphia Inquirer were among the news organizations to feature the investigation. Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation 2013 fellows were Cronkite students Peter Haden, Rachel Leingang and Mauro Whiteman, and Gaylord students Bonnie Campo, Chase Cook and Kelsey Hightower.

“We sincerely appreciate the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation’s continued support,” said Christopher Callahan, dean of the Cronkite School. “This grant will allow News21 to continue to bring in top journalism students to participate in this landmark program.”

The Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation, headquartered in Oklahoma City, was founded by Edith Kinney Gaylord, the daughter of Daily Oklahoman Publisher E.K. Gaylord. Ms. Gaylord created the foundation in 1982 to improve the quality of journalism by supporting research and creative projects that promote excellence and foster high ethical standards in journalism.

News21 is part of the Carnegie-Knight Initiative on the Future of Journalism Education, an effort on the part of the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to change the way journalism is taught in the U.S. and train a new generation of journalists. The program also receives support from the Hearst Foundations, the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, the Peter Kiewit Foundation and Women & Philanthropy, part of the ASU Foundation.