Cox Enterprises Announces $50,000 In Foundation Scholarships For Minority Journalism Students
July 31, 2008
Today at the 2008 UNITY journalism convention, Cox Enterprises, Inc. announced the James M. Cox
Foundation is awarding $50,000 in scholarships to support minority journalism students.
The scholarships will be managed by five minority journalism organizations: the Asian
American Journalists Association (AAJA), the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), the
National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), the Native American Journalists Association
(NAJA) and the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA).
The scholarships are intended to promote journalistic excellence and are available to
minority students pursuing a career in print, digital broadcast or photo journalism. Since UNITY
began in 1994, the James M. Cox Foundation has provided $200,000 to support minority journalists.
Soon to celebrate its 110th anniversary, Cox Enterprises began with the purchase of the
Dayton Evening (now Daily) News and continues today with journalism as a core profession of the
highly diversified company.
"Cox has long been committed to educating, recruiting and retaining the best and most
diverse news professionals," said Tim W. Hughes, executive vice president of administration for Cox
Enterprises. "As journalism evolves with new formats and technologies, we intend for these
scholarships to help ensure that newsrooms continue to reflect and include diverse viewpoints and
experiences."
In addition to the scholarships, Cox Enterprises is promoting education and career growth by
co-sponsoring UNITY's Career Resource Center. Cox is sending staff from its newspapers, radio and
television stations to counsel journalists and students at the Resource Center and critique samples
of work. Cox representatives also can be found at the company's booth (1825) at Chicago's McCormick
Place West.
"UNITY values its partnership with Cox Enterprises and applauds Cox for its continuing
commitment to supporting scholarship opportunities for young journalists of color especially during
these challenging times both in our economy and the journalism industry," said UNITY Executive
Director, Onica N. Makwakwa. "This support from Cox Enterprises will allow our partners to focus
more on our youth and continue to inspire more students into pursuing their dreams into
journalism."
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The UNITY convention meets every four to five years and is the largest gathering of
journalists of color. Almost 10,000 journalists and media executives meet to discuss timely issues
affecting journalism and the media industry.
About Cox Enterprises:
Cox Enterprises is one of the nation's leading media companies and providers of automotive
services, with 2007 revenues of $15 billion and more than 83,000 employees. Major operating
subsidiaries include Cox Communications, Inc. (cable television distribution, telephone, high-speed
Internet access, commercial telecommunications, advertising solutions and Travel Channel); Cox
Newspapers, Inc. (newspapers, local and national direct mail advertising); Cox Television
(television and television sales rep firms); Cox Radio, Inc. ([NYSE: CXR] broadcast radio stations
and interactive Web sites); Manheim, Inc. (vehicle auctions, repair and certification services and
web-based technology products) and Cox Auto Trader (automotive publications and a majority stake in
AutoTrader.com).
About the James M. Cox Foundation:
The James M. Cox Foundation was formed in 1957 from the estate of James M. Cox, the founder
of Cox Enterprises, Inc. The Foundation makes grants to organizations represented in the areas of
arts and culture, environment, health, human services and education.