Many thanks to all of you who donated and participated in this endeavor. On behalf of the entire board, we are so very thankful to each and every one of you. This is the first time AWSM has undertaken a fundraising campaign of this magnitude, and we absolutely, positively could not have done it without you.
With the challenges now facing our industry, our mission has never been more important. We must continue our work, and we must have the funds to do so. In so many ways, this milestone doesn't mark the end of our fundraising efforts; it marks the beginning.
The Association for Women in Sports Media is proud to introduce a new program, the AWSM Internship Opportunity Grant. AWSM will pay for the salary of one female sports writing intern during the summer of 2009 at a selected newspaper, made possible by a contribution from the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation. Deadline is Aug. 1.
All U.S. daily newspapers are welcome to apply. Learn morehere.
Newspapers given an F
The Associated Press Sports Editors released its second study on diversity in sports departments today. The report card gave APSE member newspapers a grade of "F" for gender hiring practices.
AWSM president Jenni Carlson said: "The 'F' grade is jarring. It's difficult to stomach, and yet, considering the percentage of women that the study determined are in sports departments, the poor grade is absolutely justified.
"While AWSM is happy to see slight progress being made in some areas, the numbers are not where we ultimately want them to be. We understand that progress can be slow and change can be hard, but it's difficult to see regression or stagnation in most areas.
"Sports departments need to be held accountable for the diversity of their staffs, and right now, the lack of gender diversity by in large is appalling.
"The results of the APSE study underscore the continued importance of AWSM. Since the beginning, we have existed to further the pursuits of women in sports media. Work remains, and we intend to continue to see it through."
