Engineering A Grand Plan
With a new home and plans to unveil an award for journalistic excellence, the Institute for Advanced Journalism Studies at North Carolina A&T State University aims to be a one-stop shop for Black journalists
By Tracie Powell
Columbia has the Pulitzer Prize, Harvard has the Nieman and the University of Georgia has the Peabody award. Now North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University has the lofty goal of joining the ranks of the elite with a prestigious journalism institute and prize all its own.
The Institute for Advanced Journalism Studies housed at A&T will unveil a rendering of the Vernon Jarrett Medal for Journalistic Excellence at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Atlanta in August.
The medal is named for one of NABJ’s founding members and arguably one of the foremost media commentators on race relations, politics, urban affairs and African-American history. The Vernon Jarrett Medal will recognize outstanding coverage of the issues that impact the lives of African descendants and will be the centerpiece of the school’s new institute.
“I can’t think of a better way to remember Vernon Jarrett than to celebrate the excellence of Black journalists,” institute director DeWayne Wickham says. “He combined not only the best of journalism but what it means to be the best race man. He was an unabashed advocate for the interests of Black people and he was an aggressive practitioner of the craft of journalism. He saw journalism as a way to advocate for Black people.”
The medal will be attached to a monetary award and will be bestowed in much the same way as the Pulitzer Prize, says Wickham. The medal is also part of a grand plan to nurture future and current Black journalists and help increase their numbers in U.S. newsrooms.
In addition, the institute offers mid-career journalists opportunities to cover issues and events they may not get the chance to cover in their own newsrooms. It also sponsors on-campus conferences featuring seasoned journalists and offers hands-on news gathering experience to student journalists, complementing the university’s newly accredited journalism program.
