The Sports Journalism Institute - Applications due Dec. 5

The Sports Journalism Institute is now accepting applications for its 16th class. This program is a very critical program in attempting to diversify sports departments especially with last year's Racial and Gender Report Card on America's sports departments. The deadline to submit the application is December 5, 2007.

The 2008 Sports Journalism Institute is a nine-week training and internship program for college students interested in sports journalism careers. The Institute is designed to attract talented students to print journalism through opportunities in sports reporting and editing and enhance racial and gender diversity in sports departments of newspapers nationwide. The program will run from May 29 through Aug. 3, 2008.

The Sports Journalism Institute, which works with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), is funded by the Tribune Foundation, Hearst Newspapers/Houston Chronicle, Associated Press Sports Editors and the New York Daily News. The classrooom training portion will be hosted by the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla., and will run May 29 through June 8; paid eight-week internships at newspapers around the country will follow.

The program, which began in 1993, has more than 150 graduates who have gone on to work at newspapers throughout the country. A few examples:

Milo Bryant, Class of 1993, columnist, Colorado Springs Gazette

Stephanie Storm, Class of 1993, reporter, Akron Beacon Journal

Ana Menendez, Class of 1993, page designer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Rachel Bachman, Class of 1994, sports enterprise reporter, Oregonian

Paul Gutierrez, Class of 1994, Raiders beat reporter, Sacramento Bee

Gregory Lee, Class of 1994, senior assistant sports editor, Boston Globe

Michael Cunningham, Class of 1996, Heat reporter, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Marcus Thompson, Class of 1998, Warriors reporter, Contra Costa Times

Kevin Howell, Class of 2000, High school sports editor, Newark Star Ledger

Graham Watson, Class of 2002, Missouri reporter, St. Louis Post Dispatch

Odeen Domingo, Class of 2003, reporter, Arizona Republic

Andrew Lawrence, Class of 2003, reporter, Sports Illustrated

Brandon Cleaver, Class of 2005, sports reporter, Des Moines Register

Students selected for the 2007 Sports Journalism Institute will receive:

A crash course in sports journalism next summer at the Poynter Institute May 29 through June 8, where their instruction will come from working professionals in daily sports journalism plus staff from Poynter. Class sessions will range from ethics to photo editing to how to keep running score at a baseball game to copy editing. Travel and rooming expenses will be arranged by the institute and paid for by the institute.

Eight weeks of professional experience at a paid internship in the sports department of a daily newspaper (June 9 through Aug. 3).

A $500 scholarship upon successful completion of the program for students returning to college.

Eligibility

At least 12 student journalists will be selected. Ideally, applicants should be college sophomores, juniors or seniors. Candidates will be selected on the basis of academic achievement, demonstrated interest in sports journalism as a career and excellence on the required essay. Eligibility is not limited to journalism majors.

A complete application includes these five items:

A current college transcript

Two letters of recommendation

A professional-style photo (head shot)

Up to seven writing samples or clips (photocopied on 8 1/2 by 11-inch paper)

An essay of no more than 500 words stating why he or she should be selected

Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

For more information, contact Gregory Lee, The Boston Globe at glee@globe.com or
617-929-2840. Note: E-mail is preferred.