The University of Colorado at Boulders Center for Environmental Journalism has selected five journalists as Ted Scripps Fellows in Environmental Journalism for the 1997-98 academic year.
Starting next fall, the fellows will study environmental science and policy for two semesters at the university.
The recipients are Michael Milstein of the Billings (Mont.) Gazette, Bruce Ritchie of the Gainesville (Fla.) Sun, Christine Shenot of the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel, Jenni Vincent of the Fairmont (W.Va.) Times-West Virginian and Dan Whipple, a free-lance writer from Broomfield, Colo.
The Ted Scripps Fellowships in Environmental Journalism were established last fall at CU-Boulder with a three-year $545,000 grant from the Scripps Howard Foundation of Cincinnati. The Center for Environmental Journalism, part of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, was selected to host the program after a national competition among leading universities.
The fellowship academic program is designed to give journalists with at least five years of experience an opportunity to deepen their understanding of environmental science, policy, law and journalism. Each will receive a $26,000 stipend to cover housing and other expenses while on campus.
The fellows will attend classes, participate in a special seminar and conduct independent study in areas of their choice. The 1997-98 fellows projects include issues of Western growth, environmental activism and endangered species.
We were delighted with the high quality of this years applicants, said Len Ackland, director of the Center for Environmental Journalism, founded in 1992. The fellows selected have excellent credentials and the potential to make a difference in the field of environmental reporting. We look forward to their arrival on campus in August.
The fellowship program was founded in 1993 by Cindy Scripps Leising in memory of her father, Ted Scripps, grandson of the founder of the E.W. Scripps Co., and a journalist who cared especially about the environment. Scripps (known as Scripps Howard) is the parent company of the Rocky Mountain News in Denver.
Accurate, objective and intelligent reporting on environmental issues is more important today than ever before, said Judith G. Clabes, president and CEO of the Scripps Howard Foundation. We are pleased that together with CU-Boulder we can better prepare these journalists to meet this challenge.
Following is a list of the 1997-98 Ted Scripps Fellows:
Michael Milstein is a reporter for the Billings (Mont.) Gazette, a frequent free-lancer and former reporter for the Los Angeles Times. He has a bachelors degree in public policy from Duke University.
Bruce Ritchie is an environmental reporter for the Gainesville Sun and has been with the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville and United Press International. He has a masters degree in mass communication from the University of Florida.
Christine Shenot is a business reporter for the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel and has been with Investor's Business Daily and a Japanese wire service. She has a masters degree in journalism from Columbia University.
Jenni Vincent is a reporter for the Fairmont (W.Va.) Times-West Virginian and a former local correspondent for the Associated Press and public television. She has a masters degree in environmental law studies from Vermont Law School.
Dan Whipple is a free-lance writer whose articles have appeared in publications including the Los Angeles Times and Field and Stream. He was a reporter for the Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune and editor of High Country News, now in Paonia, Colo. He has a bachelors degree from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.