Cox Enterprises Announces $50,000 in Foundation Scholarships for Minority Journalism Students

Cox Enterprises Announces $50,000 in Foundation Scholarships for Minority Journalism Students

CHICAGO, July 23 /PRNewswire/ -- 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."

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.

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FCMN Contact:

Source: Cox Enterprises, Inc.

CONTACT: Bobby Amirshahi of Cox Enterprises, Inc., +1-678-645-4518,
bobby.amirshahi@coxinc.com

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