T h e S p o r t s J o u r n a l i s m I n s t i t u t e

BULLETINTHEVOLUME 20 | COLUMBIA 2013

STUDENTS IN SPOTLIGHT at APSE convention. Page 3

DIVERSITY REPORT scores low, optimism high. Page 5

MEET THE STUDENTS of SJI’s Class of 2013. Pages 6-7

AWSM REACHES SILVER year as advocacy group Page 8

BY ALEX RIGGINSSince his days as the sports

editor at the Los Angeles Daily News in the 1990s, Michael Anastasi has been hosting summer interns and hiring alumni of the Sports Journalism Institute.

“I think that the greatest virtue of SJI is that it’s selective, competitive and national,” Anastasi said. “It’s a fine talent pool to start off with, and the selection process and training make SJI interns strong candidates.”

The Sports Journalism

Institute is celebrating an important milestone this year: the 20th anniversary of its first class in 1993. The celebration will be marked by a panel discussion and reception on Aug. 1 at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Orlando. The lead sponsor of the event is ESPN, and other top-line sponsors are MLB.com, NASCAR, USA TODAY and the National Football League.

Celebrating at an NABJ convention is appropriated because the idea for the institute

SJI at 20

BY ANDREW VALDERASSPECIAL TO THE BULLETIN

At every APSE gathering, Mary Byrne does the same thing.

“At every local, regional or national meeting, the first thing I do is count how many women, how many minorities,” she said. “Unfortunately, that can often be done on one hand.”

Byrne, managing editor, sports, for USA TODAY, is now in position to work toward changing that. In voting that concluded in early May, Byrne was elected APSE’s second vice president. She will serve one year in that job, one year as first VP then will become just the third woman in APSE history to assume the job of president. She follows Sandy Rosenbush (then Bailey) in 1991-92 and Tracy Dodds (1999-00).

During the election, Byrne said she wanted to

expand the association as a whole and bring diversity among journalism much larger.

“We must open up the organization to more writers, students and journalism professionals,” she

said. “We must rededicate ourselves to being inclusive, to making APSE a place where all journalists feel welcome and look forward to sharing big ideas. That diversity and inclusiveness is essential to innovation and real conversation.”

Byrne is a veteran of more than 20 years in the news media, most of it in sports. She began her career as a student at the University of Missouri, where she

worked on the Daily Tribune. There, she said she learned how to compile reports and discovered how tough it was to write headlines.

After Byrne graduated in 1991 with degrees in journalism and Spanish, she became a copy editor for the Oceanside (Ca.) Blade-Citizen and later, the

Waterbury (Conn.) Republican-American. After her two-year stint with the Charlotte Observer as a page designer, she focused on sports.

Her career in sports included stops at the Miami Herald for seven years (Sunday sports editor and deputy sports editor), USA TODAY (Olympic editor) and AP (sports deputy editor) before she returned to USA TODAY in her current capacity.

After she joined the AP in 2006, Byrne said the people she met and the events she attended served as an advantage and got her involved in APSE. She attended every convention as well as the contest judging, along with several regional conferences. Byrne also was a panelist at the Boston convention.

Byrne said she sees herself as an ambitious individual who will keep trying, even if occasionally the light at the end of the tunnel may be dim. Her motto? “Never stop pushing, ever, even when your goals seem perpetually just beyond your grasp. Instead, stand up, stay strong and move forward.”

MARY BYRNE

Byrne in line to be 3rd APSE female presidentSee SJI AT 20, page 10

FOR MORE... APSE AND SJI NEWS AND PHOTOS, GO TO WWW.SPORTSJOURNALISMINSTITUTE.ORG

SJI students learned about TV production at KOMU, and met anchors Brittany Pieper and Jim Riek.

CLASSROOM INSTRUCTIONLaura Johnston, Greg Bowers, Joy Mayer, Brian KratzerUniversity of Missouri School of Journalism

Malcolm MoranNational Sports Journalism Center, Indiana University School of Journalism

Gerry AhernUSA TODAYAPSE President

Jim JenksMLB.com

Carlton ThompsonMLB.com

Scott BrooksUniversity of Missouri

Richard DeitschSports Illustrated

Bryan BurwellSt. Louis Post-Dispatch

Arnie RobbinsASNE

Stephen A. SmithESPN

Garry D. HowardThe Sporting News

Rachel BachmanWall Street JournalClass of 1994

Ignacio MarquezESPNClass of 2011

Darnell MayberryOklahomanClass of 2003

Shannon Owens-GreenThe Orlando SentinelClass of 2002

Graham WatsonYahoo! SportsClass of 2002

SPECIAL THANKSProgram HostUniversity of Missouri School of Journalism

Tom WarhoverGreg Bowers

BULLETIN STUDENTSBrandon Theo DorseyHampton UniversityThe Washington Times

Rebecca FitzgeraldState University of New York at Geneseo, Kansas City Star

Erica A. HernandezUniversity of FloridaSouth Florida Sun-Sentinel

Martenzie JohnsonUniversity of Missouri at ColumbiaMLB.com

Isabelle KhurshudyanUniversity of South CarolinaESPN.com

Alvaro Ignacio MontañoUniversity of HoustonLos Angeles Daily News

Kelly ParsonsUniversity of North Carolina Minneapolis Star Tribune

Alex RigginsSan Diego State UniversitySalt Lake Tribune

Caitlin SwiecaUniversity of Missouri at ColumbiaDenver Post

Christian TrevinoUniversity of MarylandMLB.com

Rhiannon WalkerUniversity of Maryland Oklahoman

BULLETIN STAFFEditorGregory Lee, South Florida Sun-SentinelClass of 1994

SJI Co-DirectorsLeon CarterSandy Rosenbush, ESPN

SJI Board MemberDavid Squires, The Sporting News

Assignment EditorsTony Adame, Witchita EaglePeter Fuertes, Los Angeles News GroupMonica Holland, Fayetteville (N.C.) ObserverMagazineMike Wallace, ESPN/ESPN.com

Art DirectorRaquel MendezUniversity of Missouri

PhotographerQuint SmithUniversity of Missouri

BY AL MONTAÑOEver since making up stories

about his friends in the third grade with his dad’s mimeograph paper, Tim Stephens, deputy managing editor for CBS Sports, has known that journalism was his calling.

He remembers being that young, inexperienced sports editor with a lot of talent and a lot of drive, showing up at the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) convention knowing very few people.

After leaving the convention, he remembered feeling as if he was a part of something: Everyone was eager to help him and offer advice.

“I walked away from the convention having learned many new things that I would go on and apply in my own newspaper, and then of course those connections helped me climb the ladder,” Stephens said. “APSE in many ways was a launching pad, a platform in which I could show my best work and meet people who could show me the way towards high quality journalism.”

Now Stephens, the incoming president of APSE, is in a position where he has the opportunity to give back to those who find themselves in the same situation he once was.

“I hold a lot of gratitude to those who trusted me with this honor,” Stephens said. “APSE has been good to me. I’ve had many mentors and peers in the course of my career who have served APSE in various

capacities, so it’s quite a big honor to have the opportunity try to build upon the things they did in the office.

“We need to certainly continue the outreach efforts for developing the next generation of sports journalists who are just as passionate as we were when we started; who are looking for guidance in a very crowded job landscape, continuing

to offer opportunities for current professional journalists to develop their skills is certainly a priority.”

For Stephens, being in this position is a lofty honor; in fact, it’s an achieved career goal. However, he recognizes

that all the influences that APSE has brought to his career and learning the values of quality journalism through the standard set by APSE have led him to be in a position of a lifetime.

“APSE has influenced everything about how my career has developed, and the opportunity to provide leadership at a time when sports journalism faces some significant challenges was something that was very important to me,” Stephens said.” “I’m honored to be in this position.”

From continuing to foster relationships to improve access for reporters or working to develop mentorship programs to student journalists, to editors across the country facing budget challenges, APSE continues to tackle many important problems head on.

Stephens plans to outline his complete agenda for APSE in greater detail at the convention in June, which he hopes will help aid in the solutions to many of these problems. But increasing APSE’s membership continues to be his biggest concern.

“We need to continue to stabilize and grow relationships that lead to memberships,” Stephens said. “This organization has been strong, and we need to make sure that its future is strong by growing the membership and encouraging participation. We need to reach out in new ways to new organizations as the landscape in sports media continues to evolve.”

Not only growing the membership, but stabilizing its roster during tough times in the industry is something Stephens will tackle during his one-year term as president.

“I can assure you that without my participation with APSE, it’s highly unlikely that my career would have turned out as it has, where today I’m at a news organization like CBS and preparing to be the APSE president. I’d like to think that I’m an APSE success story, and I know there are countless others just like me who have taken the same steps or who will.

“I hope people would remember that I brought it every day and that I was committed to quality journalism; that I gave back to those who will follow. I think that’s the type of legacy that anyone who’s ever been involved in APSE would want to have.”

Stephens: Outreach is key

TIM STEPHENS

PAGE 2 | THE BULLETIN

SPONSORS / PARTNERSAPSE

ESPN

MLB.COM

Scripps Howard

University of Missouri School of Journalism

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Investors Savings Bank of New Jersey

Disney

USA TODAYNational Football League

BY KELLY PARSONSThe 40th annual APSE convention,

which will be headlined by a panel discussion on what can be learned from the coverage of former Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o, could see an increase in student involvement thanks to a push for student rates and membership from APSE president Gerry Ahern.

For the first time there will be a student rate for the convention — $100 for the entire event or $25 per day. Ahern has also encouraged APSE editors to sponsor student members.

It’s just another way, he said, to not only drive up registration, but also to get up-and-coming journalists involved in the future of APSE.

“We’re hoping to add to our numbers in terms of getting students and people who are just getting started in the business to be part of APSE,”

Ahern said, “and understand that the purpose of this group is to really train and elevate the next generation of sports journalists.”

The convention, which runs June 26-29, marks APSE’s first visit to Detroit.

Though registration numbers were not final at publication time (June 7), APSE executive director Jack Berninger said that as of June 3, 107 people were registered. Last year, 100 APSE members registered for the Chicago convention.

“We’ve set up a great program,” Berninger said in an email. “We’re having opening night at a Tigers’ game; downtown Detroit has a lot to offer in terms of restaurants and activities, including casinos; Canada is just across the river and has numerous night-time attractions.”

One program highlight is the discussion of the Te’o case. Editors will hear from panelists Mike Fannin of the Kansas City Star, Bill Bilinskiof the South Bend Tribune, Tim Burke of Deadspin and Mike Kellams of the Chicago Tribune.

“One of the biggest issues that we’ve all dealt with this year is what we’ve learned in the wake of the Manti Te’o situation, the way it was covered by the traditional media and the Deadspins and other online entities,” Ahern said. “We want it to be a pretty frank discussion of how things went down with that, from a reporting standpoint and from an editing standpoint.”

Other sessions will focus on how voice translates across platforms, how sports columns have evolved and what the next frontier entails for print media.

The Detroit Free Press and the

Detroit News are co-sponsoring the convention, which includes sponsoring the closing awards banquet. ESPN.com and USA TODAY are also among the sponsors, as well as well as the Midland Michigan Daily News, which will print the event guide and the Red Smith Award luncheon flip card.

Berninger, who handles much of the convention’s planning and logistics, said he will continue looking for sponsors until the day the conference begins. But as of June 3, sponsors had committed $33,000.

This year’s slate, plus the presence of sponsors who have already stepped up for the next two conventions (Washington, D.C., and San Diego) are a promising sign for the future, Ahern said, adding, “I think it’s a sign that our bosses are committed to our organization as much as the members of APSE are.”

BY CHRISTIAN TREVINOIn all honesty, Gerry Ahern can remember being

intimidated by the company he found himself in.It was June 1996, in Cleveland, Ohio, and

Ahern was attending his first Associated Press Sports Editors convention. The young editor found himself surrounded by some of the biggest names in sports editing from some of the marquee news organizations in the country.

But once Ahern began to talk to his colleagues, he saw how they “banded together,” how they treated him as an equal. These were members that would eventually provide guidance for him, leading to the foundation for his rise within the organization.

“I really felt I wanted to give back to the group,” said Ahern, who decided to run for office within APSE a few years back.

Now, 17 years after his first conference, Ahern is wrapping up his 2012-13 term as the president of the APSE. For his one-year term Ahern has had to deal with some big challenges, like the loss of credentials for the NCAA Tournament, but he also helped build for the future of ASPE by reaching out to the next generation of sports editors.

In addition to his presidency, Ahern is the director of news content for USA Today Sports Media Group. The former managing editor for colleges and investigations for Yahoo! Sports who oversaw Charles Robinson’s story on the University of Miami/Nevin Shapiro scandal, the Boston native joined the APSE in

1996 while working as a sports editor in Huntington, W.Va, He also served as the APSE’s second vice president in 2010.

“I was thrilled,” said Ahern of his successful election. “This is an organization that means a lot to me.” He called the APSE one of the most important groups in all of journalism and sports.

One the biggest accomplishments this year for APSE has been the increased effort to connect with younger journalists, particularly those still in college. Ahern and his fellow members implemented a plan for current members to sponsor journalism students. As a

result, the APSE has brought in 60 new student members.

“The future of our profession, and to an extent APSE, resides in classrooms of colleges all across the country,” said Jack Berninger, APSE executive director.

“We want our organization to be viable in the future and we also want to give back and mentor and give guidance to the next generation,” Ahern said. “I see that as my role as the president.”

But while Ahern has overseen these crucial additions to APSE, he has also had to face losses: the loss of press credentials for one the biggest sporting events of the year,

the NCAA Tournament.In what Ahern tabbed as one the APSE’s biggest

challenges, the amount of credentials was cut to provide more seating for fans.

Ahern — a self-proclaimed “college basketball guy”— and the APSE have been diligent on working to recoup some of their lost seats, having met with the NCAA and other organizations over the past year, with more scheduled in the future.

“They are hearing our concerns,” Ahern said. “These are the issues that show the power APSE has and the responsibilities we have (to the industry).”

USA Today’s Ahern looks back on APSE reign

Student member push highlights convention

COLUMBIA 2013 | PAGE 3

Outgoing APSE president Gerry Ahern listens to SJI intern Rhiannon Walker.

BY ISABELLE KHURSHUDYANDan Jenkins’ children used to fall asleep with

the thwap, thwap of a typewriter as he banged out wit and wisdom, page after page.

They’d sleep sounder now. The 83-year-old Golf Digest Writer-at-Large and former Sports Illustrated writer shares his quips on Twitter, not a typewriter, the same cutting humor in 140 characters or fewer.

Though times and technology have changed, Jenkins’s work has continued, remaining relevant regardless of medium because of the light comedy he brings to any situation. It’s for Jenkins’s unique voice that he has won the 2013 Associated Press Sports Editors Red Smith Award for “major contributions to sports journalism.”

“If I’d never had a chance or lacked the ability to write anything but bowling agate, I’d have been happy doing it the rest of my life,” Jenkins said in an email interview.

Jenkins wasn’t lacking in ability, covering golf, college football, professional football and Alpine ski racing in his 24 years at Sports Illustrated and weaving sentences that referred to then-Jets quarterback Joe Namath as “sinisterly handsome.” He has also penned several books, including “Semi-Tough” and “Dead Solid Perfect.”

Jenkins was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2012, and the PGA gave him its Lifetime Achievement in Journalism Award in 1995, but winning an award named after one of his journalistic idols is special.

He read Red Smith in college because he wanted to read the best. Over the last six decades, young writers have read Jenkins’s work for the same reason.

“He’s told me it means more than any other award to him,” said Sally Jenkins, Dan Jenkins’s daughter and award-winning Washington Post columnist. “I don’t think he sits around picking out what prizes he wants to win, but I do know this is an award he wanted.”

Fellow Red Smith Award winner Dave Kindred covered the 1971 Nebraska-Oklahoma game for the Louisville Courier-Journal alongside Dan Jenkins. After Kindred read Jenkins’s story on the matchup between the top two teams in college football, he said he “wanted to throw himself under a train.”

“He was so good at it,” Kindred said. “He takes sports seriously but not solemnly. He shows that sports is fun, and he has fun writing about it.”

A longtime Richmond Times-Dispatch columnist and last year’s Red Smith Award

winner, Bill Millsaps said Jenkins “can puncture without drawing blood.” After he felt Billy Casper overplayed his Mormon faith at the 1969 Masters, Jenkins wrote, “Billy Casper and his good friend the Lord, strolled hand and hand through the valleys and pines of Augusta, stamping out petroleum-based pesticides, gas heating, foam-rubber pillows and assorted sausages that offend his allergies.”

Jenkins can now publish his zingers instantly with the innovation of Twitter. Covering his 63rd Masters Tournament, he tweeted, “Saw Colin Montgomerie looking for gifts in the golf shop, but

they’re already out of majors for guys who have never won one.”

“He calls himself ‘The Ancient Twitterer,’” Millsaps said. “He sits around and dreams up all of these funny things he wants to say and now he can send them out instantly to as large an audience as he ever had.”

As writers 20 years younger bemoan the industry’s changes, Jenkins has embraced the marriage of journalism and the Internet. He said some of the best sports writing is online-only with websites like Deadspin and Grantland.

Sally Jenkins introduced Dan Jenkins to Deadspin founder and Sports on Earth Senior Writer Will Leitch over the phone. Leitch doesn’t remember the conversation other than nervously stammering through it.

“My least favorite writers are the ones who feel like they’re tossing down thunder claps at you from the clouds,” Leitch said. “One of the things I love about him is that he writes in an accessible, funny way that seems effortless, even though it of course isn’t. But he makes it look that way.”

Red Smith: Jenkins’ voice stands the test of time

BY ISABELLE KHURSHUDYANSally Jenkins had a press pass at 11.Going on a vacation of sorts with her father, former

Sports Illustrated writer and Golf Digest Writer-at-Large Dan Jenkins, as he reported from a golf tournament, Sally brought Dan coffee in the media room.

“I would run and get him some more paper and just run errands for him,” said Sally, a columnist for the Washington Post. “Then I’d walk the golf course with grown-up journalists.”

Growing up with Dan, Sally would fall asleep with the noise of him writing through the night on the typewriter and eagerly await the new issue of Sports Illustrated. Later, when she started to write, she marveled at the sentences that flowed with ease though she saw the careful thought and consideration he put into them.

Though Dan insists he can take no credit for Sally’s success as an award-winning columnist and writer, she disagrees. Well-established in her own career now, Sally still draws on her father’s example, whether it be recalling a piece of advice he gave her or reading an old story of his to see how he covered a certain subject.

“Sally is not only the best writer I know, she’s the best person I know. And the best read,” Dan said in an email. “Her instincts are amazing. … Nothing about Sal’s writing reminds me of me. It’s so much better.”

Though Sally did not set out to be a sports journalist at a young age the way Dan did, she said she’s Dan’s creation from when he would read her John Lardner from “The Treasury of Great Reporting” to give her a college journalism education at 15. His first piece of advice to her when she started working at Stanford’s college newspaper was, “Don’t ever let a thing out of your hand until it’s as good as you can make it.” Sally would call Dan when she was stuck and he would tell her she’s trying too hard.

“He’s not taking proper credit for my education,” Sally said. “And he never pressed it on me. It was something I was interested in.”

When preparing for an interview with former Penn State coach Joe Paterno – the last interview Paterno did before his death – Sally looked back on the profile Dan did of Paterno in 1968.

“There’s a clarity to it,” Sally said. “He wrote about him with just the right mixture of respect and skepticism. I think you can learn a lot from that, and I certainly learned a lot from him as a girl and am still learning a lot.”

Daughter follows in dad’s steps

SALLY JENKINS

Dan Jenkins is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

PAGE 4 | THE BULLETIN

BY CAITLIN SWIECAWhen it comes to diversity, APSE still has a

long way to go. That’s the finding of a study conducted by

Richard Lapchick, director of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida.

Overall, APSE was given a D+ on the 2012 Racial and Gender Report Card. That included a C+ in racial hiring practices and an F in gender hiring practices—the same grades APSE got in 2010, the last time the report was produced.

According to Curtis Walker, who assisted Lapchick, the study was compiled from self-reported demographic statistics that news organizations provided.

The report card, released March 1, showed that 90.9 percent of sports editors were white and 90. 4 percent were male.

“I’d say that the APSE is the most interesting,” Walker said. “Although they receive poor grades each year, they continue to make the effort to try to diversify.”

The report suggested that APSE member institutions institute a rule similar to the Rooney Rule in the NFL, requiring there to be a diverse candidate pool for each key position opening.

“I’d recommend they make it their business to interview and hire someone and give them a chance,” Walker said. “A lot of people who are part of ESPN, they got that chance. The smaller organizations, just because they don’t have the name doesn’t mean they can’t hire someone from a different demographic. The question is, are they really trying?”

Some APSE editors suggest that increasing diversity statistics isn’t as simple as it sounds.

Michael Anastasi, vice president of Los Angeles News Group and founder of the APSE Diversity Fellowship Program, said that he has followed a Rooney Rule philosophy while making hires throughout his career.

“Unlike the NFL, APSE can’t mandate companies,” Anastasi said. “All we can do is educate editors and publishers and urge them to try to adopt these practices.”

Kathy Kudravi, CNN Sports editorial director and a member of the board of directors for the Association for Women in Sports Media, said she didn’t think a universal Rooney Rule would be the best way to increase diversity. “I can’t speak for every woman and every minority, but I can say that I would want to be considered for a position, not because I’m a woman, but because I’m the

best person for the job,” Kudravi said. Jorge Rojas, Miami Herald executive sports

editor and APSE Diversity chair, said he found the results of the report frustrating but also understood the circumstances that make it difficult to bring in more minorities and women.

“As one of the few and proud Hispanic sports editors, I can tell you what I’m mostly seeing is an organization that’s trying to do the right thing, and that’s got a lot of obstacles to overcome, whether it’s the inability to hire, keep or attract talented minorities, or the fact that women in particular may not want to work in parts of this field, specifically night editor or clerk,” Rojas said.

One large obstacle pointed out by Kudravi is the general lack of open jobs and movement within the industry. With the economy in general and media industry in particular struggling, there may not be as many opportunities for diverse candidates.

Rojas said the report did not mention any of APSE’s diversity initiatives, which include providing funding for the Sports Journalism Institute (for female and minority college students), sponsoring a Diversity Fellows program for mid-career professionals, and hosting an annual Day of Diversity at Hampton University.

The report noted that the primary source of progress since the 2010 report came from ESPN, which, as one of the few organizations able to increase hiring, has hired a number of minority sports editors and columnists. In a first-person piece for the Sports Business Daily, Lapchick wrote: “In each of the reports in 2006, 2008, 2010 and now, ESPN’s statistics for sports editors and columnists raised the numbers. Without their key hirings, the statistics would be even worse than they were in 2006.”

But Rojas points out, many of those women and minorities came up through APSE newspapers.

“They’ve, in essence, plucked the best and the brightest,” Rojas said. “All credit to ESPN, but I think that Dr. Lapchick placed an emphasis on ESPN’s success, and I think some of its success should be all of our success.”

Rojas said it is easier to hire a young minority candidate for an entry-level job, but change at the top will take more time.

“It has to come with the perspective of, you want to be building all the way from the ground up,” he said. “You don’t want to necessarily put someone on a fast track that isn’t ready for that fast track. It takes time to have people ready and in place.”

Despite poor score, APSE continues race to diversify

COLUMBIA 2013 | PAGE 5

BY REBECCA FITZGERALDMichael Wallace is up for a new journalistic challenge.The ESPN.com reporter and blogger entered the

industry as a print journalist, covering news at the Shreveport (La.) Times. He solidified himself as a sports reporter and columnist at three additional newspapers.

In 2010, Wallace joined ESPN.com, following NBA action in his “Heat Index” blog.

After 15 years in journalism, Wallace is exploring another aspect of the industry. He is one of the four professional journalists selected to participate in the second annual APSE Diversity Fellowship, a nine-month program to prepare mid-career journalists for management positions.

Joining Wallace are Tony Adame, sports writer and copy editor of the Wichita Eagle; Peter Fuertes, copy editor for the Los Angeles News Group and Monica Holland, sports desk chief and outdoors editor for the Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer.

Given his writing background and his success, Wallace’s colleagues have questioned his interest in management.

“I think one way to be a better writer is to understand the management aspect of it and understand what happens to your stories as they go from what you write to the actual production process,” he said. “And I think one way to be a better editor is to be in the trenches with your writers.”

He sees opportunities to “bridge that gap” between writing and management and hopes to “find (his) niche somewhere between there.”

Wallace is unique because “he could go in any direction he wants to go,” said Jorge Rojas, APSE diversity chair and Wallace’s former boss at the Miami Herald.

Wallace and the other fellows worked with this year’s SJI class helping prepare stories for this publication. The Fellows also attend the APSE winter and summer conferences, Sports Management Program and a professional development day in each Fellow’s region.

Wallace expanded his horizons from his print journalism roots and although he “(hasn’t) wanted to jump around that much” he pursued his goals and chased it wherever they led.

“It’s been a great ride, it’s been a great journey,” he said.

Jorge Rojas, left, joins Diversity Management Fellows Tony Adame, (second from left), Monica Holland, Mike Wallace (back) and Peter Fuertes. APSE President Gerry Ahern and past president Mike Anastasi join the group in Indianapolis.

Fellows get shot to run the show

Caitlin Swieca University of Missouri, 2014

Denver Post

After being raised in Chicago and attending school in Missouri,

when Swieca checks into her internship this

summer it will be her first time west of Kansas City.

While she isn’t well travelled to the western half of the nation, she is more than familiar with the inside of a newsroom. Swieca has worked for her high school paper, Missouri’s student-run paper The Maneater, the Columbia Missourian and suburban Chicago’s Daily Herald. “I thought it would be worthwhile to get away from home,” Swieca said of her decision to leave Illinois in favor of Missouri. “All my friends were going to the University of Illinois, so I figured I might try something different.” Swieca’s summer internship is in partnership with SJI and the Association for Women in Sports Media.

—Alex Riggins

Martenzie JohnsonUniversity of Missouri, 2014

MLB.com

Johnson is a late bloomer in the sports journalism world. The Milwaukee native said

he lacked direction in his sophomore and junior

years of high school, and his mother suggested he look into pursuing a degree in journalism. After his freshman year of college at Valparaiso, Johnson transferred to Wisconsin and began writing for wissports.net after he graduated in 2011 with his journalism B.A. The next year, he enrolled at Missouri for grad school, and started working for the Columbia Missourian covering the cross country beat. He is pursuing his Master’s in journalism and is set to graduate in May 2014. He started following baseball writers on Twitter and reading Grantland.com when he learned he’d be working at MLB.com this summer. It will be his first extended stay in New York City, and he looks forward to the exploration.

—Rhiannon Walker

MEET THE CLASS OF 2013Alex Riggins

San Diego State University, 2013Salt Lake Tribune

Reading pointed Riggins to writing. After reading

a Rick Reilly column, “’Twas the Fight before

Christmas,” in Sports Illustrated, Riggins realized that

he wanted to tell the same kind of personal stories that Reilly told in his column. “I just read it and was so impacted by his writing and storytelling,” Riggins said. “Now, I look back and realize all of the research it took to tell that story.” Riggins didn’t get to do his own journalism until his junior year of college. He became a staff writer with the Daily Aztec and then interned at U-T San Diego in the 2013 spring semester. Having graduated from SDSU, Riggins wants his summer with the Salt Lake Tribune to help him fine-tune his journalistic skills.

—Isabelle Khurshudyan

Erica A. HernandezUniversity of Florida, 2015South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Hernandez, 20, wants to do it all. She could have

graduated college in two years but instead chose to

tack on an education and business minor to her original minor in history and B.S. in journalism. She says she wanted to have a better college experience, and she’s certainly done that. “All I know is that I want to stay in journalism, stay in media, and have the ability to do it all,” Hernandez said. Her drive defines who she is, and she doesn’t let anything stop her or get in her way. With past internships at the St. Augustine Record, Miami Herald and ABC News (where she worked with the most recent Republican National Convention), Hernandez plans on learning everything she can and being the best at what she does.

—Al Montaño

Alvaro Ignacio Montaño

University of Houston, 2013L.A. Daily News

Born and raised in Houston, Montaño loves

the city so much that he decided to stay when

it came time to choose a college. “It’s the perfect place to

live,” Montaño said of Houston. When deciding where he sees himself working, Montaño has taken time to do some research. “Right now I am trying to find my place in sports,” Montaño said. The 21-year-old broadcast journalism graduate has had a variety of internships in the Houston media market. Montaño has interned for Sports Radio 610 Houston, Comcast Sports Net Houston and works for the the Houston Chronicle. Montaño hopes to return to his part-time agate clerk position after his internship, while he works on returning to the University of Houston for his master’s degree in mass communication.

—Erica A. Hernandez

Rhiannon WalkerUniversity of Maryland, 2015

The Oklahoman

Walker is a former Baltimore Sun intern, a USA Today contributor,

and an active member of the NABJ Sports Task

Force. But in the 7th grade, after receiving a B in English,

she was told that she needed to work on her writing skills. She took a class over the summer to improve but still ended up with a C in that course. Inspired, the Ft. Washington (Md.) native took it upon herself to become the best writer she could. “I’ve always liked the challenge; I’ve always liked to see myself improve.” That improvement got her all the way to Big 12 Conference baseball championships this past May. “I’m a journalist and I’m doing a pretty good job,” Walker says. “I’m accredited to do this type of stuff.”

—Martenzie Johnson

PAGE 6 | THE BULLETIN

Isabelle KhurshudyanUniversity of South Carolina, 2014

ESPN.com

Although Khurshudyan has been reporting on sports since high school, her favorite story of all those she’s written involved a larger social issue. Because

the confederate flag flies in front of the statehouse in Columbia, S.C., the state is not allowed to host any

men’s or women’s NCAA basketball tournament games. Last spring, Khurshudyan wrote an article for The Daily

Gamecock about the ongoing ban, telling the story from the viewpoint of Dawn Staley, the African-American head coach of the Gamecocks women’s team. “It was probably the best reporting job I’ve done,” Khurshudyan said. “I had to talk to 20 or 30 people for it.” As she prepares to head to Bristol, Conn., for her summer internship, Khurshudyan said she is looking forward to the opportunity to do more enterprise work.

—Caitlin Swieca

MEET THE CLASS OF 2013

Christian TrevinoUniversity of Maryland, 2013

MLB.com

When Trevino was 8 years old, he read Sports Illustrated for the first time.

Fourteen years later, his career goal is to write for

the publication. Although the Laurel, Md., native has written most all of his life, the idea of a career as a writer didn’t emerge until he attended the nearby journalism school in College Park. Sports Illustrated stands out to Trevino because, he says, “it’s the epitome of sports storytelling” with “beautiful writing” - exactly what he hopes to produce. Trevino, who considers sports journalism an art, prefers to tell stories through long pieces. He had the opportunity to craft stories while interning at the Baltimore Sun in fall 2012. This summer, Trevino says he’s hoping to build on the skills he has to learn the other side of sports writing.

—Rebecca Fitzgerald

Brandon Theo DorseyHampton University, 2015

The Washington Times

Most high school students drag their feet as they head to school each morning. Dorsey, 20, says he couldn’t wait to get there. In fact, he’d often show

up an hour early. That’s because every morning, Dorsey and his friends would meet in the cafeteria

before class to discuss sports. Those conversations made him realize that he wanted to pursue his passion into the

world of sports journalism. “I knew what I wanted to do,” he said, “it was just about getting there.” Since then, the Houston native has tried his hand at a variety of facets of sports journalism. At Hampton, he is a sports anchor of the student radio and television show. He also works at the Hampton Script as a sports writer and looks forward to learning more about that aspect of the business in Washington. “That’s what this summer is about,” Dorsey said.

—Kelly Parsons

Rebecca FitzgeraldSUNY Geneseo, 2014

Kansas City Star

Fitzgerald, 21, moves around a lot. In her 15-year softball career, the

Guilderland, NY, native has been a pitcher, shortstop and

outfielder. She follows the same blueprint in journalism. “I don’t

consider myself exclusively a sports journalist,” Fitzgerald says. “I’m open to the many facets of journalism.” Fitzgerald has worked in editing, photography, features and even writing reviews. The rising senior just finished her first year as sports editor for her school paper, The Lamron, and is now taking on the managing editor position. She is this year’s representative of the Asian American Journalists Association, through its partnership with SJI. This summer Fitzgerald will be interning at a bigger paper than she’s used too, but welcomes the adventure. “I’m just excited to be in a larger market and to be getting out of my comfort zone,” she says.

—Christian Trevino

Kelly ParsonsMinneapolis Star Tribune

University of North Carolina, 2013

When Parsons was just three years old,

her grandfather caught her singing “Take me

out to the ballgame,” during Mass. From then on,

it was clear that sports reigned supreme for her. “My favorite place to be in the world is a baseball stadium,” said Parsons. This explains her goal to visit all 30 major league ballparks before she turns 30. But the Winston Salem native also enjoys covering the less-popular sports. She participated in swimming, lacrosse, and tennis in high school, so she is also interested in covering little-known sports. “It’s cool to dive into stories that may not have been told before.” Serving as sports editor at the Daily Tar Heel, Parsons was able to travel to places like Maui, Shreveport, and Kansas City and says her work has “allowed me to become a better beat writer and see different parts of the country.”

—Brandon Theo Dorsey

The Sports Journalism Institute Class of 2013 spent eight days at the University of Missouri.

COLUMBIA 2013 | PAGE 7

BY MARTENZIE JOHNSON During the 2013 NCAA Basketball Tournament,

Peoria Journal Star columnist Kirk Wessler noticed something unusual happening during the Final Four contest between Wichita St. and Louisville.

From his seat at one of the four corner sections of the Georgia Dome court, Wessler saw Wichita State athletic director Eric Sexton make his way down to the court, where the No. 9 seed Shockers were leading the No. 1 Cardinals 26-25 at halftime. The AD was not there to congratulate head coach Gregg Marshall. Instead, he was there to dance.

Sexton joined the Wichita St. Pep Band and fans in singing the Missouri Valley Conference champions’ fight song and as he did, he gave in to his inner “Jersey Shore” and fist pumped. His face showed just how much he enjoyed his team possibly being one half away from a berth in the national championship game.

Wessler, who is also the newly elected president of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), saw all this two feet away from the pep band. But for any sports writers who were delegated to the press box 200 feet away, this moment was missed.

In May 2012, sports media associations including the USBWA and APSE were notified that the NCAA planned to reduce courtside seating for media during the 2013 men’s tournament. Wessler said that in previous years the media had roughly 225 to 230 seats available for tournament games. But the NCAA had plans to get rid of all courtside media seating to make room for students, family members and corporate sponsors.

So in September, representatives from the USBWA and APSE met with four NCAA officials,

including executive vice president for championships and alliances Mark Lewis and vice president of men’s basketball championships Dan Gavitt. The result was a compromise in which the press kept “130 seats at or near courtside for print and digital media at the 2013 Final Four in Atlanta,” according to a letter sent to USBWA members. Wessler said that about 70 of those seats were courtside, with the remaining media seating in end zones, corners and press boxes.

Gerry Ahern, the director of news content at USA Today and the president of APSE, said that sitting courtside allows a writer to see “reactive” things on the court that are impossible to view from a press box.

“It’s plain and simple. If you’re in a hockey press box or a football press box in one of these dome stadiums, you can’t really even watch the games,” Ahern said. “Just simple game action, let alone any sort of reactive situation between a player and coach, or God forbid a situation like Kevin Ware.

“You just cannot get that perspective.”Ahern and Wessler emphasize the need to have

media representatives at the table for future discussions on such decisions.

Press losing valuable space at sporting venues

BY RHIANNON WALKERLindsay Jones remembers how

refreshing it was being amongst a group of women who loved sports.

Attending her first Association for Women in Sports Media convention in 2006, Jones said she was blown away over being in the same place as so many women she looked up to and had read over the years.

“(I remember) being very, almost like, star struck about it, like ‘Oh my God, there’s Christine Brennan … oh my God, there’s Leslie Visser,’ and just thinking that’s so amazing,” Jones said. “They were just like me but older, and I thought that was really cool.”

At the time, Jones said she was working at The Palm Beach Post, where she was the only female reporter in its sports department. Making her way through the convention, she said it was nice to be around women like her who shared her passion.

“It was just really refreshing to go somewhere that there were other people like me, who liked sports as much as I did who were women,” said Jones, who is now an NFL reporter for USA Today.

At its annual convention this summer, ASWM will celebrate the association’s 25 years of encouraging women working in all levels of sports journalism. The event takes place June 20-23 in Montelucia Resort and Spa in Scottsdale, Ariz.

AWSM President Stefanie Loh said the association was founded as an advocacy group and support system for women who wanted to enter the male-dominated field of sports.

Loh explained that in recent years, AWSM has not only sought to diversify sports newsrooms, but to also build from the foundation up and to foster a culture where women in college are getting involved in sports earlier.

“Just from my experience, I became involved with the organization when I was in college,” Loh said. “So to me, it made sense to try and get people involved with the organization from college, because then you grow with the organization, and then hopefully, it’s an ideal situation.”

Loh also discussed the importance of student chapters; reiterating the importance of creating a strong

foundation at the collegiate level. The organization’s official website lists seven active student chapters -- Boston University, Michigan State, Missouri, Ohio University, Ohio State, Oklahoma State and Penn State.

The University of Maryland is in the process of forming what will be the eighth student chapter. Student chapter President Allie Kessel said she believes an organization like AWSM makes her aspiration of becoming an NBA reporter more tangible.

Kessel said AWSM is an important resource for women to have, because there’s still a concept that sports journalism is a man’s field.

“I am faced with some challenges even here at Maryland” said Kessel, a sophomore broadcast journalism major. “When I go interview players…they kind of look at me like, ‘Oh you’re trying’ or ‘Oh you’re going to try and interview me? That’s cute.’ And it’s so frustrating, and it’s not fair.”

Kessel said it’s “really important to promote and help women who are in sports journalism grow,” and “to show it’s not a man’s field, as much as people

think it is. It’s important to do that now in college more than ever.”

Although AWSM strives to integrate more women into sports jobs and internships, Gina Mizell said simply having more women is not enough for the organization.

Mizell said that ESPN anchor Linda Cohn, in a discussion with Oklahoma State’s student chapter, explained that quantity is not a substitute for the quality of women reporting in sports media.

“I asked her, ‘Hey, how cool is it to see that there’s an AWSM chapter here, and there’s a whole group of women who want to get into this field?’” said Mizell, The Oklahoman’s Oklahoma State football reporter.

“She’s like, ‘I think that’s awesome, and I hope that continues to grow, and I hope more women want to continue to enter this field. But at the same time, I want to make sure it’s the right women. I want to make sure it’s people who get on camera, not just because of the way they look or something like that, but because they know what they’re talking about.’ ”

AWSM celebrates silver anniversary

The Kentucky Derby also reduced prime media seating.

PAGE 8 | THE BULLETIN

BY ERICA A. HERNANDEZWhen the Times-Picayune went from a daily to

a three-day production cycle in October 2012, every phase of the publication’s sports coverage changed.

Doug Tatum, then Times Picayune’s head sports editor, believes the changes were for the better.

“The change for sports was very positive,” Tatum said. “We can finally cover our market in a way we weren’t able to before with our small staff, structural restrictions on freelance and furloughs.”

A structural shift in management was the first change to hit the sports section.

Tatum has gone from being the overall sports editor of the Times-Picayune to being a co-sports editor with Marcus Carmouche. Carmouche manages high school and prep sports coverage, and Tatum manages professional and college sports coverage.

Tatum says that the change allowed the hiring freeze, which has been in effect since 2007, to end. He has hired seven reporters, bringing the sports staff to 20 reporters and four managers.

“We went from being a passive-defensive publication to being aggressive,” Tatum said.

That more aggressive approach sparked the creation of TPStreet on April 30. According to a post

on Nola.com by Jim Amoss, the editor of the Times-Picayune, TPStreet will focus on breaking news, sports and entertainment.

Unlike the Times-Picayune, TPStreet is not be home delivered, but is sold for 75 cents at stores and in newspaper boxes in New Orleans. Tatum sees the tabloid-size publication, which is published on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, as another chance to grow his department.

“We are producing far more content than is being printed right now,” Tatum said. “With TPStreet, most of the stories we write now will be printed instead of just 50 percent of them.”

Tatum believes that his staff is doing a better job of serving the online and print audience. He added that there is still a market out there that wants print publications.

With the newest change, both the sports section and the newspaper will put out a print product to the public on a daily basis.

The regular daily home delivery newspaper,

including the sports section, will continue to be published Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. There’s also a “Saturday Bulldog” edition.

More and more publications are facing the reality of reducing the traditional home delivery schedule. The Cleveland Plain Dealer announced on April 4 that, like the Times-Picayune, it too would cut back to a three-day production schedule.

Advance Publications, Inc. owns the Times-Picayune and the Plain Dealer. Tatum said the two publications have always shared information, even before the changes were announced.

The Times-Picayune’s sports staff is striving to meet the needs of its audience now more than ever. Since the change to a three-day production cycle, the staff started publishing specialized print products that focus on the New Orleans Saints and local prep sports coverage.

The sports staff produces the “Black and Gold,” which features Saints coverage and is delivered to subscribers on Mondays during football season. The “Bulldog Edition” on Saturdays mainly covers high school. TPStreet will fill the gaps on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Mondays.

“Now we are meeting our competition head on,” Tatum said.

Times-Picayune adjusts to new production cycle

Social media influence felt by websites

CARMOUCHE

BY CAITLIN SWIECAIn the past five years, the rapid

rise of social media has forced news organizations to reconsider their digital strategies, with many traditional newspapers redesigning their websites or expanding onto social networks.

To Mike Foss, the seemingly complicated dilemma of how to best reach readers in the new era of digital communication comes down to one question.

“Whenever I have a conversation about news consumption in general, the first question I always ask is, ‘What’s the first thing you do in the morning?’ ” Foss said. “Nine times out of 10, it’s ‘Get on Facebook.’ ”

Foss is the managing editor of For The Win, a new website launched by USA Today to cater to an online audience that gets much of its news through links shared on social media networks.

With sports fans increasingly turning to websites such as Twitter and Deadspin for news and commentary, USA Today is an example of a traditional media organization adapting to new Internet trends.

“A lot of For The Win is, how are we going to take advantage of that platform?” Foss said. “Whether it’s headlines, subheadlines, or photos, we’re taking into consideration how it’s going to look on someone’s mobile phone, Facebook app, Twitter app.”

The new website has a staff of eight employees, who work to aggregate content from around the web and present their own creative takes on sports issues.

And while the website is geared toward social media users, its writers still work with print in mind, as some of its content is featured in the USA Today sports section.

Another media outlet transforming

its website is FOX Sports, which is preparing to launch new cable channel FOX Sports 1 in August.

FOX Sports spokeswoman Emily Parker said the network has made a push to have cross-platform communication. In addition to promoting content with the network’s Twitter accounts, FOX has worked with its reporters to develop a greater presence on the website.

For example, Mike Pereira, the former vice president of officiating in the NFL, now works for FOX and has a Twitter account where fans can send questions regarding controversial rulings.

“He’s made it his own and become a resource for fans to engage wit, especially on Sundays when they have questions about the rules,” Parker said.

Each show on the new channel will feature a dedicated social media producer capturing behind-the-scenes content, and FOX has separate digital

areas for each of the sports it airs. The eventual goal for the website

is to have three main areas: one with traditional news and headlines, one with statistics and scores, and one with buzzworthy content for users to view and share.

“We’ve noticed sometimes that the most shared stories are the stories within the stories,” Parker said. “Stories tied to sports, but it goes beyond the box score.”

Even Sports Illustrated is making digital changes, with football reporter Peter King planning to launch an all-football website based on the mode of ESPN’s Grantland.

With non-traditional websites such as Deadspin, Twitter and Grantland gaining steam, reactions from mainstream sports publications are likely to continue in the coming years, giving sports fans more content to browse, read and share.

COLUMBIA 2013 | PAGE 9

was born in 1992 at the NABJ convention in Detroit. Co-founders Sandy Rosenbush and Leon Carter talked at the convention of using their prominent positions to bring more minorities and women into the sports journalism industry.

At the time, Rosenbush was the deputy sports editor at The New York Times and the first female president of APSE. Carter was the NABJ Sports Task Force chair.

“Since day one, SJI has been about getting women and minority students ready to contribute their voices to our industry, and in turn helping the industry through the diversity of their thoughts and ideas,” Rosenbush said.

Ohm Youngmisuk of the Class of 1994 has traveled far, but has never left his SJI mentor. He’s worked for Carter his entire career, at the New York Daily News and now at ESPNNewYork.com. “Leon has always looked out for me,” he said. “He’s more than a sports editor, he’s someone I can talk to about life.”

Stephanie Storm is a sports reporter at the Akron Beacon Journal and was a member of the first SJI class.

“As they were starting out, the directors were asking around about minorities and women interested in sports journalism,” said Storm, who interned in the summer of 1993 at The New York Times. “They were actively looking for these people like me who they thought might be out there.”

Twenty years later, Rosenbush and Carter have built one of the most highly regarded programs of its kind.

It still has the basic format from 20 years ago – classroom preparation (aka “boot camp”) for the interns, followed by internships. Initially, the internships were just at newspapers but now there

is a multi-media emphasis, including MLB.com and ESPN.com.

They have maintained or developed partnerships with the NABJ, APSE, Association for Women in Sports Media, Asian-American Journalists Association and National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

SJI has even inspired other programs of its kind, such as the APSE’s Diversity Fellowship Program, started by Anastasi in 2011 during his time as APSE president, which helps train minorities in the industry to take over management positions.

“I was associated with SJI from early on,” Anastasi said. “I saw its training, the network, the family atmosphere and support – I thought it was great.”

Rosenbush agrees that the way that SJI connects young minority journalists is one of its best virtues.

“Honestly, looking back, it’s beyond amazing that the institute has grown and thrived as it has, and that we are still working in it,” Rosenbush said. “Truly an extended family in the best sense of the term.”

CONTINUED from PAGE 1

SJI: 20 years of change

PAGE 10 | THE BULLETIN

Diversity key in Neuharth legacyBY: ALEX RIGGINS

When Al Neuharth died in April at the age of 89, most headlines referred to his greatest accomplishment: founding the newspaper USA Today.

Though founding that newspaper was his most notable achievement, Neuharth also was the founder of the Freedom Forum, the Newseum and a failed weekly tabloid in his home state called SoDak Sports.

While Neuharth was a successful entrepreneur on the business side of the news, his legacy may ultimately be best represented by the newsroom diversity that he fought to promote.

“I’ve always thought that coming from South Dakota – not an area where you’re presumed to be elite – he had a soft spot for the little guy,” said Gene Policinski, a veteran newsman who worked for and with Neuharth for most of the last 30 years.

Neuharth’s credentials are unmatched by most in the business in terms of advocating for women and minorities in the newsroom.

The Freedom Forum’s Diversity Institute is a school dedicated to training and mentoring a diverse workforce. The University of South Dakota’s Neuharth Center hosts a yearly journalism program for Native American journalists.

And the Freedom Forum awarded the first $75,000 grant to the Sports Journalism Institute, a rigorous training program for women and minority sports journalists.

“I think his greatest innovation was that

he recognized huge and untapped potential for minority and women journalists,” Policinski said. “He did a lot to promote both – in a literal sense to position of leaderships – and advocate for them.”

When Neuharth founded USA Today, he dreamed of a newspaper that reflected the communities that it served.

Policinski, a founding editor of USA Today, said Neuharth made it a goal to put minorities and

women on the front page.“If the stock market was up or down, for

example, we would try to find a minority or woman economist to comment,” Policinski said. “But it wasn’t a gimmick. He was confident that there were good minority sources out there. And they were out there, once we started looking.”

“What he was saying was expand your mind, expand your reach and expand your sources.”

Policinski on Neuharth: “He recognized huge and untapped potential for minority and women journalists.”

Nate Taylor, SJI class of 2009

Current position: Knicks beat reporter for New York Times

One of the youngest members of SJI now covering the NBA, Taylor

is the new guy on the court. “As a 25-year-old rookie, yeah it was daunting,” Taylor said.

Taylor had been working at the Raleigh News & Observer covering college and prep sports after graduating from the Central Missouri in 2010. “It was a totally logical step,” he said. “You have to adapt and that’s what SJI taught me.”

During his SJI summer, Taylor interned at the Minneapolis Star Tribune. After graduating, he interned at The Boston Globe. Taylor applied to the Times expecting to gain nothing more than experience in the interviewing process. He just completed his first season on the Knicks. “I didn’t know what to expect,” he said, “but the Times has tried to empower me with responsibility.”

Marcus Thompson,SJI class of 1998Current position: Warriors beat writer for the Bay Area News GroupThompson has been covering the Warriors since 2004. It

was his first job after graduating from Clark Atlanta University in 1999.

But one thing from SJI days is still clear in Thompson’s memory: Leon Carter’s sports checks. “I’m not a sports trivia guy,” Thompson said. “I gave up on half of them.”

Thompson also remembers getting rejected by SJI the first time he applied. When he was finally accepted the summer before his senior year, it was a humbling experience.

“That was 10 days but it was a semester’s worth of work,” he said. “(SJI) takes it from a fun fantasy to real hardcore work.”

Thompson is now a seasoned professional. “It’s really the same (as college or high school sports), just magnified,” he said of the NBA. “It’s like a big fancy math equation that boils down to the same basic principles.”

Baxter Holmes, SJI class of 2007

Current position: Celtics beat reporter for the Boston Globe

Holmes had two words to describe SJI: “so intense.”

The Oklahoma graduate and ex-LA Times reporter remembers his experience at the Poynter Institute and his internship at the Salt Lake Tribune as rewarding, fulfilling and humbling.

“I felt like the weakest link,” Holmes said. “I felt honored to be in the room with everyone else who was there.”

Holmes was no stranger to sports journalism when he attended SJI. He had been working at a newspaper in Oklahoman since he was 16.

Holmes is now fresh on the job in Boston. “I started in late January,” he said. “I came in mid-season so it was a little bit hectic.”

He carries with him the lessons he learned at SJI.

“Reporting beats great writing every day of the week,” Holmes said. “I think that was something that started to take hold in me that summer, and now it’s one of my core philosophies.” Candace Buckner,

SJI class of 2001

Current position: Trail Blazers beat writer for The Columbian

Buckner never imagined she’d be a print journalist living in Washington state. Then again, until her summer with SJI, she never thought she would write for a living.

A broadcast journalism major at the University of Missouri, Buckner said the only reason she didn’t go into TV was her experience at SJI.

Buckner interned at the Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer through SJI. After covering high school sports in Kansas City, she decided in November 2011 to move to Gary, Ind., to write a book that would document the last season of a basketball team whose school was closing.

As Buckner was finishing the first part of the book, she got a call from The Columbian, a newspaper she had applied to more than two years earlier and was hired for the NBA beat.

Buckner credits the institute and its leaders with a great deal of her success. “They are the moms and dads of all our careers,” Buckner said of Greg Lee, Leon Carter and Sandy Rosenbush. “They have really been tremendous.”

Darnell Mayberry, SJI class of 2003

Current position: Thunder beat writer for The Oklahoman

Mayberry, a Norfolk State graduate, had little experience before attending the institute in Dallas and completing an internship at the Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer. “I remember being in awe of people I was surrounded by,” he said.

Mayberry also covered a professional sport for the first time during his SJI days when the 2003 group went to a Rangers game.

It was a networking connection Mayberry made at an APSE convention that helped him land a job covering the Thunder.

Mayberry said he wouldn’t be in the position he is in if it weren’t for SJI. “I learned the importance of doing my best and not taking short cuts,” Mayberry said. “The institute showed me there are a lot of people who want to be where I want to be.”

They shoot, score: SJI grads cover the NBASome of the more than 250 Sports Journalism Institute alumni describe the program like a fraternity—except with more diversity and inclusiveness. Although SJI alum have settled in a variety of beats, we recently caught up with six who followed the NBA playoffs and are now gearing up for the NBA Draft. BY ERICA A. HERNANDEZ

Sekou Smith, SJI class of 1995Current position: NBA reporter, lead writer of NBA.com’s Hang Time Blog

Smith may not have gone into sports journalism if not for SJI.

“That was the summer I decided I was going to do this,” he said. “I wasn’t convinced. I needed the institute as an affirmation.”

After his sophomore year at Jackson State in Mississippi, Smith completed SJI in Atlanta and interned at the Poughkeepsie Journal. “It was like an advanced course in sports journalism,” Smith said of the institute.

Smith’s first job was covering the SEC at the Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Miss. He later moved to cover the Pacers in Indianapolis. From there he moved to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution to cover the Hawks and that’s when NBA.com made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. “It was a chance to create a blog and do TV,” Smith said. “I figure that’s where business is heading.”

In addition to his blog, TV appearances and podcasts, he also traveled to London to cover the 2012 Summer Olympics.

“It’s been a ride,” he said. “It’s been stunning what you can do if you keep grinding.”

COLUMBIA 2013 | PAGE 11

BY BRANDON THEO DORSEYIt seems only fitting that APSE’s 40th annual

conference will be held in Detroit, a town where sports reign supreme. So what does the city that was home to legends such as Gordie Howe, Barry Sanders and Isiah Thomas have to offer?

Plenty.On the first day of the conference, APSE

visitors will visit Comerica Park as the defending American League champion Detroit Tigers host the Los Angeles Angels.

Washington Times sports editor Mike Harris can’t wait to check out the renovated ballpark. “I went to Comerica Park when it was under construction but I’ve never been there since it has been finished,” Harris said. “I’m very excited to see a game there, and I hope I get to see Justin Verlander pitch. I love exploring new ballparks, and Comerica is another one I can cross off my list.”

Whether Verlander will take the mound is uncertain, but either way the game shouldn’t disappoint.

For lovers of the arts who need a break from sports, online travel reviewers consider the Detroit Institute of Arts “truly a jewel in a resurgent Detroit.” It is also said to house one of the best art collections in America, with a diverse selection of more than 65,000 pieces.

That’s not the only art that Motor City has to offer.

The Motown Historical Museum acquaints visitors with the story of when Motown and Tamla Records reigned supreme with 110 top 10 hits from 1959-1971. Motown was home to the Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and many other stars of the ‘60s.

But for APSE president Gerry Ahern, the highlight of the convention will be the honoring of sports writer and author Dan Jenkins with the Red Smith Award for his contributions to journalism. “He is a legend in our business and someone I’ve always looked up to,” Ahern said.

The award will be presented to Jenkins at a luncheon Friday. Following the luncheon, sports editors will discuss one of the most intriguing stories so far in 2013 – Manti Te’o and the online hoax perpetrated on him. Editors will discuss

what covering the saga has taught them. If there is one thing sports editors love more

than a juicy story, it’s food. At 1128 Washington Blvd. sits one of the city’s finest eateries, Michael Symon’s Roast. The Detroit Free Press named Roast “Restaurant of the Year” in 2009 and a quick look at Yelp and other online review sources indicate it’s still a favorite, especially for steak lovers. APSE visitors will get the chance to be the judge of that and the many attractions the city has to offer during the convention.

Detroit offers sports, arts, dining

BY BRANDON THEO DORSEYAPSE’s summer convention is

headed to the suburbs in 2014. Arlington, Va., will be the host

of APSE’s 40th anniversary and executive director Jack Berninger is excited.

“Early chatter indicates that, location aside, this could be one of the best-attended conferences in years,” Berninger said. Even though recent conventions have been in cities such as Chicago, Boston and Detroit, he believes that Arlington is not a bad location at all. “It’s a hop, skip and a jump to downtown Washington D.C.,” he

said. “What could be better?”The Marriott Crystal Gateway,

with room rates of $189, has been selected as the hotel. It is a five-minute drive from Reagan National Airport, and only about eight minutes from Nationals Park—a hopeful convention destination for APSE President Gerry Ahern.

“We always make it a point to make it happen,” Ahern said. “But again we are at the mercy of their schedule.”

In additional to attending a Nationals game, providing that they are home, Ahern and Berninger also are looking into having a

reception at the Newseum.Arlington also is 11 miles away

from the headquarters of USA Today, which is the main sponsor of the 2014 conference. Ahern, who is also director of news content at USA Today Sports Media Group, believes the convention is in the perfect location for sports journalists.

“It’s obviously a great city for journalism, and it’s becoming a great city for sports,” Ahern said.

With the close proximity to D.C. and its various attractions, Berninger said, “families can join their hard-working sports managers and make it a vacation week.”

D.C. suburbs beckon in 2014

Comerica Park: Home of the Tigers is the centerpiece for Detroit’s sports offerings.

PAGE 12 | THE BULLETIN